The Volunteer
by Millemini
Summary: AU story. Annie, a college student, volunteers at a VA rehab facility where she meets Auggie, a blinded Iraq war veteran. Annie is there for Auggie through his rehab and they become close friends. FINALLY COMPLETE
1. Chapter 1

******I've had several requests to turn this into a multi chapter story, so I'll give it a go. Not exactly sure where this will go tough.**

******The season 3 premiere blew me away! It was VERY good and I can't wait to see the rest of the season. Especially looking forward to next weeks episode. A&A posing as a married couple in Barcelona... Can't wait! :o)**

**DISCLAIMER: Don't own Annie, Auggie or Covert Affairs. Just my storyline.**

* * *

**Anne Catherine "Annie" Walker**  
_College student in her senior year of linguistics studies at Georgetown University. Decides to volunteer at a VA Rehab facility in her spare time._

**August "Auggie" Anderson**_  
Army Captain and Computer Engineer. Blinded by an explosion during his last tour in Iraq. Originally from Glencoe, Illinois, but relocated to Washington DC after a promotion a couple of years earlier._

**-Chapter 1-**

Annie Walker pulled her red VW into the staff parking lot at the VA rehabilitation facility in Sterling, Virginia. It was Sunday morning and her first day as a volunteer. Although she had volunteered at military base hospitals through most of her teens she was nervous. It was something about the big building that was imposing. She straightened her spine, squared her shoulders and headed inside to meet up with the volunteer coordinator and get her assignment.

An hour later she was walking down the hallway toward the blind rehabilitation unit. If possible she was even more nervous. She'd never been around anyone blind before and had no idea what to expect. A smiling middle-aged woman emerged from one of the doors. She stopped and looked at Annie for a second.

"Are you Annie? The new volunteer?"

Annie nodded affirmatively and held out her hand. "Annie Walker, nice to meet you."

"I'm Judith Wilkins, the care coordinator here at the blind rehab center. Let's get you a locker and we'll get to work. Have you ever worked with blind people?"

"Never. I grew up as an army brat and from I started High School I volunteered at the base hospital where Dad was stationed. This is completely new to me though. I have to admit I'm kind of nervous."

Annie had butterflies the size of eagles flittering around her stomach when she walked down the hallway. Judith had given her a crash course in sighted guide techniques and a few pointers on how to interact with a blind person. Her first assignment was to guide a patient to the dining room for lunch. She reached the correct room, the door was ajar and she peeked into the room. She saw a young man, Captain Anderson she'd been told, sitting on the edge of the bed, his shoulders were slumped and he was fidgeting with what appeared to be an iPhone. She knocked tentatively on the doorframe and his snapped up and he turned in her general direction. "Wow," was Annie's first thought. "Hadn't expected to run into a cute guy here." She noticed his dark brown eyes, chiseled jaw and wavy brown hair. Definitely handsome in Annie's book, but she quickly tried to put those thoughts away. His baritone voice pulled her from her thoughts.

"What? Who's there?" he said in a harsh tone.

"Oh, I'm Annie. I'm here to take you to the mess hall for lunch."

"Not hungry," he spat out.

"Umm…okay then. If you're sure I guess I'll go ask Judith if there's someone else that needs my assistance," Annie said as she turned and left the room. There was something about the man that intrigued her, but his hostility came as a surprise. When she was halfway down the hall she ran into Judith.

"Where's Captain Anderson?" she asked.

"In his room. Said he wasn't hungry. Rather harshly actually."

"He's been angry and uncooperative since he got here a week ago. We struggle to get him to eat too. Says he don't wanna be a spectacle in the dining room."

"Oh…" Annie thought for a few seconds. "What about bringing something to his room? Is that allowed?"

"Normally no, but feel free to try. He really should eat something."

Annie nodded affirmatively and headed to the mess hall. She picked up a tray and filled it with a bowl of tomato soup, a club sandwich, a bag of chips and two bottles of water. A few minutes later she was back in Captain Anderson's room. He was still sitting on the edge of his bed.

"Captain Anderson?" she said tentatively.

"What now? I said I'm not…" His voice trailed off as he inhaled.

"I brought you a tray of food. You should really try to eat something."

"You brought food here?" he asked in a softer tone, looking slightly puzzled.

"Yeah, I'll set the tray down on the desk. There's a bowl of tomato soup, a club sandwich and a bag of chips. I also brought you a couple of bottles of water."

"Oh…" He didn't know what to say, but he stood up and cautiously crossed the room with his hands slightly extended in front of him, located the chair and sat down by the desk. Annie described the locations of the items on the tray to him and within minutes he had polished off the soup and moved on to the sandwich and chips.

"I thought you weren't hungry," Annie said as he finished the sandwich.

"I guess I was wrong," he replied with a shrug after swallowing the last piece of sandwich.

"No problem. Judith said you didn't like to eat in the dining room. I figured you'd be more comfortable in your room. I guess I'll take the tray and bring it back there."

He didn't answer as she picked up the tray and left his room, but Annie was still happy with herself; She'd managed to get him to eat something.

* * *

A couple of days later Annie returned for her second volunteer shift. Part of her was eager to see Captain Anderson again; there was something about him that intrigued her. As she walked down the main hallway Judith greeted her.

"Hi Annie. Glad to see we didn't scare you away. It's dinner time, could you try to get Captain Anderson to eat something today too? We didn't have much success beyond a couple of apples yesterday."

"Would it be okay if I brought the meal to his room, like I did with lunch the other day?"

"Sure, but don't make a habit of it. He really should go to the dining room to eat with the rest of he patients."

"Got it. I'll do my best."

Anne made a detour to the dining room to see what the menu choices were and then she headed for Captain Anderson's room, bracing herself for his foul mood. His door was ajar and she saw him lying on the bed, his eyes were closed and he appeared to be slumbering. She knocked tentatively on the doorjamb.

"Captain Anderson?"

"What is it now?" he asked sharply, sitting up in bed.

"It's Annie, from the other day. I came to see if you wanted to go to the dining room for dinner or if you wanted me to bring your dinner here."

"Oh…" All of a sudden he seemed a bit deflated. "They let you bring my dinner here? Everyone else insists that I eat in the dining room."

"It's not something they usually allow, but I can be pretty persuasive. Today's choices are pot roast with mashed potatoes or fish and chips. What do you want?"

"Pot roast sounds nice," he responded flatly.

"Pot roast it is then, I'll be right back."

Ten minutes later Annie placed a tray with a plate of pot roast, mashed potatoes and glazed carrots on Auggie's desk. She'd also brought a chocolate pudding and a bottle of water for him. Just as the other day she described the locations of everything to him and he dug in hungrily. Annie sat quietly, surfing the net on her iPhone, while he ate. She didn't want to stare. She was deeply immersed in an article when August's deep baritone voice pulled her back to the present.

"Thanks Annie. I appreciate it."

"My pleasure. I don't know how long I'll be able to pull it off for."

He sighed heavily and his shoulders slumped. "I know," he said, sounding a bit defeated. Annie got up and grabbed the tray to bring it back to the mess hall with her. Just as she reached the door Auggie spoke again.

"By the way, please call me Auggie," he said quietly.

"Auggie? That's a new one, don't think I've heard that before."

"Short for August, but the only one that calls me that is my mother when she's pissed at me."

"I see. My full name is Anne Catherine, but I haven't been called that since I was grounded during high school I think," Annie said with a small laugh. A brief smile flickered across Auggie's face.

* * *

Almost a week passed before Annie was able to do another shift at the rehab center, the first week of the semester had kept her busy. It was midday Sunday when she walked down the hall toward Auggie's room. He was sitting by the desk, his fingers moving slowly over a page filled with Braille characters. She watched for a couple of minutes, 'till he suddenly pushed the pages across the desk and cursed. Then he turned in her direction with an irritated look on his face.

"Hi Annie. Staring at a blind guy is sort of rude. It's not like I can reciprocate," Auggie said with annoyance in his tone, but there was also a hint of teasing.

"Uh…oh…I'm sorry, you seemed to be so focused, and I didn't wanna interrupt. How did you know it was me?"

"Lucky guess. I don't think there are that many women here that wears Jo Malone Grapefruit."

"Oh, am I wearing too much perfume?" Annie said, worry lacing her voice. She'd just recently switched perfumes and still weren't 100% comfortable with how much to apply.

"No," Auggie said shaking his head. "It's just unusual. Most of the women here smell like flowers."

"So, how are you doing?"

"Okay I guess. Trying to learn Braille, which is damn impossible. My fingertips aren't sensitive enough. Where have you been all week?"

"First week of classes combined with moving into a new apartment kept me busy. I've managed to settle most things now, so the coming week should be less crazy."

"You're in college?"

"Senior year of a linguistics major at Georgetown. I've pretty much covered everything my major requires, but I still lack a few general credits. It won't be a very hard year for me study wise. That's why I decided to do some volunteer work."

"I know it's rude to ask a lady how old she is, but it's not like I can see you and judge for myself. I think you sound younger than most of the volunteers though."

"I'm 25. You're right; I'm younger than the other volunteers. I think most of them are at lest in their 40'ies, some of them are probably in their 70'ies."

"I suspected that. Some of them kind of act like my grandmother," he said with a small smile on his face. "Listen, I'm sorry I was such a dick the last time you were here. Everything is just so overwhelming; I don't know how to deal with it all."

"Don't worry about it. I can't even imagine how hard this is for you."

"Thanks Annie," Auggie responded quietly. Over that past week he'd realized he needed a friend. His family was halfway across the country in Glencoe, Illinois and his college and high school friends were scattered all over the country. He didn't have any close friends in the DC area. He'd moved there a couple of years earlier and he'd been immersed in his work since he moved there. His social life hadn't been on his list of priorities; being in a management position had proved to be more challenging than he'd anticipated and he'd let work take over his life. Then, about eight months earlier, he'd been asked to do a second tour in Iraq, which he'd accepted. The desk job was getting tedious and the action over in Iraq was tempting.

* * *

"Hi Auggie," Annie greeted him as she entered his room at dinnertime the following Tuesday. "How are you?"

"I'm okay I guess, been worse. How's your week going?"

"It's been good. A couple of my classes are proving to be more interesting than I thought they'd be."

"Well that's good. Is it almost dinnertime?"

"Yeah, I came to get you. They said you had to go to the dining room."

"I know. It's ok, I've had most of my meals there the past week." Auggie rose from his seat and headed for the door and grasped a long white cane that rested against the dresser.

"Um…do you want me to lead or are you using your cane?"

"Cane. Might as well practice. Do you mind keeping me company while I eat?"

"Sure, I'd be happy to."

Ten minutes later Annie placed a tray in front of Auggie. After describing where everything was on the tray and on his plate she sat down across from him.

"You know a little bit about me, but I barely know anything about you. Would you mind telling me a little bit about yourself?" Annie asked after a few minutes of silence, hoping she wasn't pushing her luck too much.

"Sure. I grew up in Glencoe, Illinois, youngest of five boys. Studied Computer Engineering at MIT, graduated little over seven years ago. I did ROTC in college and went on active duty after graduation. Did a tour in Iraq and when I came back got a job in Chicago. Got promoted and transferred to DC a couple of years ago, last year I got asked to do another tour in Iraq, which I accepted. Ran into an IED and here I am," he said with a shrug.

"How long has it been?"

"Almost a month now. First they shipped me to Landstuhl, then on to Walter Reed before I finally arrived here a couple of weeks ago. I hoped to do my rehab at the Hines VA in Illinois, it's close to my family, but there was a two month wait to be admitted there. I just want to get it over with, so I here I am."

"You don't have any family in the DC area?"

He shook his head. "No. My parents and all of my brothers and their families live in the Chicago area."

"Oh, what about friends in the area?"

"Not really. Not close friends anyway, co-workers and acquaintances mostly."

"Well, if you want a friend I'm here. It's got to be hard to go through this alone."

"Thanks Annie. I appreciate it, I could use a friend."

"No problem," Annie said, reaching over to give his hand a squeeze. Auggie gave her a small smile in return. He had the feeling it was the beginning of a great friendship, Annie was something special.

* * *

**Please leave a review and let me know what you think :o)**


	2. Chapter 2

**Here's the 2nd chapter :o) **

**Disclaimer: I don't own Covert Affairs, Annie or Auggie. **

* * *

**-Chapter 2-**

It was late Friday afternoon and Auggie was sitting by the desk in his room with a Braille workbook in front of him. He'd been at the rehab facility for about a month and a half and he'd been making steady progress on most of his skills. As much as hated his predicament he was well aware that it couldn't be changed and his only option was accept that he was blind and adapt to life without seeing. Braille was still giving him some trouble, but he was now able to decipher most of the bumps that passed under his fingers. His instructor had told him that it was a matter of practicing as much as possible, so Auggie spent much of his free time with the workbooks. The knowledge that literacy in Braille was his key to accessing computers again and eventually going back to work was a great motivation.

A knock on the doorjamb got his attention and as he turned around he inhaled; the now familiar scent Jo Malone grapefruit hit his nose.

"Hi Annie," he greeted her with a smile on his face.

"Hey. How's it hangin'?"

"I'm tired, but good."

"Listen, I was wondering if you wanna get out of here this weekend?"

"Huh?" Auggie's brow shot up in surprise.

"I'm house sitting for my sister this weekend and as far as I know you haven't been out of here since you were admitted, have you?"

"Not really, only on a few 'field trips' with my O&M instructor. I don't know Annie…" Auggie hesitated. He wasn't sure he felt ready to tackle unfamiliar territory just yet.

"I just thought a change of scenery might be nice. The weather is nice and she's got an awesome back yard. We could just hang out and relax."

Auggie was tempted. He'd been in rehab for over six weeks and he'd spent his weekend practicing Braille, listening to audio books and hanging with Annie. The monotony was getting to him, and he was grateful that he'd met Annie. Without her he'd be going stir-crazy.

"Okay, I'll go. I guess I have to go talk with whoever's in charge and check out of here for the weekend."

"Excellent! Do you want any help packing?"

"There's a backpack in the bottom of the closet. Why don't you pack some stuff for me while I go to the office?" Auggie said as he crossed to the door and grasped his new folding cane off the dresser and unfurled it. He was glad he'd 'graduated' from the rigid cane earlier that week, especially when he would be spending a couple of days in 'the real world'.

"

* * *

Okay, we're here," Annie said as she pulled into her sister's driveway in Georgetown.

"Where exactly is here?"

"Georgetown, my sister's house. Let's get inside."

They both unbuckled their seatbelts and got out of the car. Auggie immediately unfolded his cane and leaned on it while he waited for Annie to lead him into the house. She grabbed his backpack and her purse from the back seat and joined Auggie, touching the back of his left hand.

"Let's get you settled in the guestroom and I'll give you a guided tour of the place," Annie said as Auggie took her arm. Auggie fought back a sigh. He was in totally unfamiliar territory and he was very aware that he was going to need a lot of assistance for the coming couple of days.

"I sure hope I won't be too much of a hassle," he said dejectedly.

"Never. I just want you to have a good time and relax this weekend, okay? Please don't think you're a hassle. There's nothing wrong with asking for help and I wouldn't have asked you to come here if I wasn't prepared to help you out when you need it."

"Thanks Annie," he said quietly. "It's just that I've become pretty comfortable around the rehab center and I can manage pretty well without too much assistance. Here I'm reminded of my limitations and how much I depend on someone to assist me in certain situations. Not sure I like that it'll always be that way."

"I understand that Auggie, but stop thinking that you're a hassle. You're not. We all need help from time to time," Annie said firmly.

"I'll try, but it's pretty damn hard at times."

A couple of hours later they were sitting in the lounge chairs in the corner of the back yard, enjoying a beer and chatting. Auggie felt as normal and relaxed as he had in weeks. The house was pretty easy to navigate and he'd been very pleased with himself when he managed to find the restroom without any help from Annie.

"Do you have any idea what you'll do after you finish rehab?"

"Move back to my apartment in Adams Morgan and go back to work I guess. I just took a 12-month leave for my tour in Iraq. I'm due back at work about a month after I'm finished. I've talked to my employer and they're very understanding and have promised they'll provide me with all the adaptive tech I need."

"Oh, that's great. At least you don't have to worry about getting a job."

"It was a huge relief when my boss confirmed I still have a job. I know there are plenty of pieces that still need to be put together before I move back to my place, but at least the two main pieces of the puzzle are in place."

"You seem to be making good progress on your training," Annie stated.

"I am. I still have a long way to go before I'm ready to live independently and go back to work, but now I feel like it's realistic. I know I'll get there," he said with determination lacing his voice and Annie could see it in his face too. Annie reached over and gave his hand a squeeze.

"Auggie, would you mind if a couple of my friends joined us for dinner tonight? I told them about you and they really want to meet you," Annie asked him over breakfast Saturday morning.

"You told them about me?" Auggie wasn't sure he liked that Annie was to her friends about him.

"No details Auggie, of course not. They know that I volunteer at the rehab facility and I mentioned that I hadn't expected to make a friend there. They asked a bit more and I just told them I met a blinded veteran that was a little bit older than me and we kind of clicked. That's it. When they asked me about my weekend plans and I mentioned I hoped to spend the weekend here with you they mentioned that we could do a barbecue together if you were up for it."

"Oh…" Auggie didn't know what to say. Part of his screamed no; he found the prospect of meeting new people daunting and he was afraid to appear as a bumbling fool. Another part of him was eager to. He regretted that he'd neglected his social life and lately he had realized that he should work on that.

"Okay," he finally said reluctantly. "As long as you stick with finger foods. I'm still a bit of a klutz when it comes to flatware."

"I just planned on burgers and hotdogs, is that okay?"

"Yeah. I can manage that," Auggie said with a smile. Albeit nervous he was also a bit excited. He knew he needed to buck up and get on with his life.

* * *

**PLEASE leave a review and let me know what you think.**

**As long as it's constructive it's appreciated. ;o)**


	3. Chapter 3

**Thank you so much for the warm reception of this story :o) Every review, favorite & story alert is a greatly appreciated and here's your reward; the second chapter.**

**SOOOO excited about next weeks episode of Covert Affairs; A&A in Barcelona! :o)**

**DISCLAIMER: I don't own Annie, Auggie or Covert Affairs :o)**

* * *

**-Chapter 3-**

"Um…Annie?"

"Yeah, what?"

"Do you think we could swing by my apartment sometime before we head back to Reston? I don't have many clothes at the center and I was hoping maybe you could help me get a few things together before we head back tomorrow?"

"Sure, it's just over in Adams Morgan, right?"

"Yeah. It shouldn't be too far from here," Auggie said, giving her his address.

"That's not far from here at all, it's actually within walking distance, we could walk over there after lunch if you want to."

"Yeah, fresh air sounds good to me. The weather seems to be nice today."

"It's a bit overcast now, but it looks like it's breaking up. Patches of blue are starting to appear."

A wave of sadness washed over Auggie as he realized that he'd never see that again. That he'd never see again, period. He quickly pushed those thoughs away; he wouldn't allow himself to wallow in self-pity like that; nothing good would come from that.

"Something wrong?" Annie asked, she'd seen the flicker of emotion passing Auggie's face. He hung his head for a minute, not sure what to say, he was afraid of appearing whiny.

"Just a seconds realization that I'll never see again. As much as this" he waved a hand in front of his face, "is starting to feel normal sometimes it hits me hard. I'm fine," he said with a small smile. Annie grasped his hand and squeezed it. "Thanks Annie," he said quietly. One of the things he appreciated most about her was that she knew when to keep quiet instead of trying to make him feel better. She understood his need to work through things in his own mind. After sitting in silence for a few minutes Annie got up and suggested that they'd have lunch and then head over to Auggie's apartment.

* * *

Late in the afternoon Auggie was sitting on the edge of the bed, tying his shoelaces. Annie's friends would be there shortly and he tried his best to tame the butterflies flittering around his stomach. He took a deep breath, grasped his cane from the bed next to him and stood up. After unfolding the cane and tapping it twice to make sure it was locked he carefully made his way down to the kitchen where Annie was preparing dinner.

"Hey there, wanna give me a hand?" she greeted him as he entered the room.

"Not sure how much help I can be," he replied hesitantly.

"I know there's a cooking class at the center. Surely you can slice cucumber or something?"

A small smile came across Auggie's face. "Yes, I can slice a cucumber. I'll prepare the salad."

"Good," Annie stated, placing several items on the counter. After guiding Auggie to the spot she described the locations of everything and let him get to work. About fifteen minutes later he proudly presented the finished result of his work to Annie just as the doorbell rang.

"That looks great Auggie," she said patting his arm. "I'll get the door."

Auggie simply nodded as he wiped his hands on a kitchen towel. The butterflies in his stomach were back.

# # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # #

Half an hour later Auggie's nerves were pretty much gone. Annie's buddy, Stu, was a computer science major and he and Auggie had plenty to talk about. Stu's girlfriend Laura was a linguistics major like Annie and they'd been immersed in a conversation about a project they were doing together pretty much since they'd settled down by a round table on the patio.

"How long have you been with Logic software?" Stu asked Auggie.

"I started as a developer at their Chicago office when I returned after my first tour in Iraq. A couple of years ago the transferred me to the DC office where I took over as the head of the security software department. I'd worked there for little over a year when I got asked to do the second tour in Iraq last year. I'm due back at work in about three and a half months."

"There's plenty of adaptive tech available to make that possible, right? I must admit I don't know much about it."

"There is. I didn't know much about it myself until lately. Since I didn't need it I didn't pay much attention to it before. I need to get more proficient with Braille before I learn how to use it properly. I've played with it a bit in the computer lab and it seems easy enough once I'm fluent in Braille. Enough about that. What sort of work do you want to do after graduation?"

"Security software or maybe automation systems. I'll be finishing my Bachelors degree in the spring, but I'm considering getting a Masters. Just not sure if I'm up for another year of study or if I should just get a job. Do you have a Masters?"

"I've got a Masters. I was actually pretty decided on settling for a Bachelors degree, but my counselor convinced me that I should do a Masters. It only meant an extra year of study and since I didn't have a job lined up I went for it. I don't regret it, but if I'd had a job waiting I probably wouldn't have done it."

"The year's just getting started, so I have a while before I'll have to decide what to do. If I get a good job offer I might go for it."

"Sounds like a plan," Auggie agreed as he snaked his hand out and located his beer bottle.

"Need a new one?" Annie asked as he drained it and set the empty bottle down on the table.

"Yes please," he said with a smile. The night was going much more smoothly than he'd dared to hope for and he wasn't feeling on edge and nervous any more; to his surprise he was relaxed and enjoying himself. He had a feeling he'd found a buddy in Stu and he was glad Annie had introduced them.

* * *

"Thanks for taking care of me this weekend," Auggie said to Annie Sunday afternoon. They were in her car, heading back to the rehab facility. "It was better than I dared to hope for. I actually had a good time."

"It looked like you and Stu hit it off," Annie stated.

"We did. He's a great guy and we have a lot in common, since we're both computer geeks," Auggie said with a small smile.

"I had a feeling you two would like each other. Not that either of you are typical geeks."

"What do you mean?" Auggie didn't understand what Annie was getting at.

"Well, you're both fit, work out and you don't wear nerdy t-shirts and constantly talk tech."

"You obviously didn't look to closely at my wardrobe yesterday," Auggie stated with a teasing smirk.

"Huh? What are you getting at?"

"I have a drawer full of geeky t-shirts. Atari, Nintento.. I even have a classic '1-up' tee. They're awesome."

"Oh really… I guess I must've missed that drawer," Annie said with a laugh.

"I really hope I'm the only one in this car in need of a white cane. If I'm not please call a cab for me, I'd like to return to the rehab facility alive."

"Don't worry. I'll get you back there in one piece Auggie," Annie stated firmly, giving his arm a squeeze. Auggie turned toward her with a smile on his face; the first smile Annie had seen that actually extended to his eyes. He was truly happy to have Annie walker in his life and he couldn't help thinking that as much as he hated the fact that he would never see again he was also grateful for the explosion in Iraq. Without it they would probably never have met each other.

* * *

**Please let me know what you think in a review.**

**As long as it's constructive it's appreciated :o)**


	4. Chapter 4

**Thank you so much for the reviews, alerts & favorites :o) **

**DISCLAIMER: I don't own Annie, Auggie or Covert Affairs**

* * *

**-Chapter 4-**

It was midday Sunday and Annie was back at the rehab facility to do another volunteer shift. As usual she headed for Auggie's room as soon as she arrived, but it was empty and she headed over to the computer lab. He'd been making good progress on his Braille skills lately and Annie knew he'd been spending quite a bit of time practicing his computer skills as he'd progressed in Braille. The sound of two familiar voices and laughter surprised her as she got closer to her the computer lab. She knew that Auggie and Stu had been keeping in touch and Stu had joined Annie and Auggie for a couple of dinners and a lunch over the month that had passed since she'd introduced them. This was the first time she'd walked in on Stu visiting Auggie on his own.

"Hi there! I can't believe my luck; running into two of my favorite guys here," she said as she entered the room. They were sitting by one of the computers and the screen was covered in code that didn't mean anything to Annie.

"Hi Annie," Auggie greeted her, sounding a bit distracted, He didn't turn away from the computer and he kept typing at a furious pace, his brows furrowed with concentration.

"Hi Annie," Stu greeted her. "Auggie here is helping me with my mid-term project."

"Oh, that's great. Well, I guess I'll leave you to it and check with Judith what she needs me to do then. See you both later," Annie said with a smile as she left the room and headed back down the hallway. She was glad her hunch when she'd introduced the two to each other had proven right.

# # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # #

An hour later she ran into them strolling down the hallway towards the exit of the rehab facility, Auggie was holding on to Stu's arm.

"Hey guys, done with the nerdy stuff?" she greeted them.

"At least for now," Stu replied. "I'm sure I'll have to bug Auggie a few more times before the project is due next month."

"You're not bugging me," Auggie interjected with a grin. "I'm having a blast with it and I get to practice my computer skills while helping you. It's win-win."

"Oh, if you put it that way," Stu chuckled. "Let's hit the road then."

"Hit the road? Where are you guys going?"

"Auggie told me he was craving a Five Guys burger so I'm taking him there for dinner. As payment for his help."

"Oh…okay," Annie was a bit surprised, but at the same she was happy to see how well the two of them were getting along. "Have a good time then. Maybe I'll see you if you get back before my shift is over Auggie. If not I'll see you on Tuesday. I'll see you around campus Stu." Annie patted Auggie on the shoulder and turned and walked down towards the dining room with a smile on her face. Introducing them to each other had been a very good idea.

* * *

On Tuesday afternoon Annie was an hour early for her shift, hoping to spend some time with Auggie before she got to work. The door was ajar and she was surprised to see Auggie curled up on his bed, his back toward the door, instead of sitting by his desk, practicing his Braille like he often did in the afternoons. She knocked on the doorjamb.

"Go away," he said, his voice sounding husky, without turning in her direction.

"Auggie? What's wrong?"

He merely grunted in reply. Annie entered the room, closed the door firmly behind her and crossed the floor to sit on the edge of the bed. She touched his t-shirt clad shoulder. He slowly moved to lie on his back; his face wet with tears and his eyes were red-rimmed. "Sorry. I'm just having a really bad day," he choked out, wiping his cheeks with the back of his hand as he sat up in bed with a slightly embarrassed look on his face. He wasn't sure how he felt about Annie seeing him like this.

"Hey, no need to apologize. You're allowed to have all the bad days you want. You wouldn't be human if you didn't have them. Want to talk about it?"

Auggie sighed and shook his head. "I haven't even worked through it in my own mind yet. Maybe later."

"What do you say we get out of here for a few hours?"

Auggie opened the face of his newly acquired Braille watch and checked the time with a questioning look on his face. "Aren't you supposed to start your shift in about 45 minutes?"

"If you wanna do something I'll talk with Judith. There are several other volunteers here this afternoon, it shouldn't be a problem."

"I could use a change of scenery for a few hours," Auggie said quietly.

"I'll got talk with Judith then. Go splash some water on your face and get ready while I do that, okay?"

Auggie nodded and got to his feet as Annie left the room and went to find Judith.

Ten minutes later Annie returned to Auggie's room. He'd washed his face and changed his from the faded black t-shirt he'd worn and into a navy polo shirt. He was sitting on the edge of the bed, clutching his folded cane in his right hand.

"All squared away, we're free to get out of here. Any idea where you want to go?"

"How about the Olive Garden over in Sterling? It's been a while since I had Italian food. Do you know where it is?"

"I have a pretty good idea and I've got a GPS, so we'll be fine."

# # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # #

Half an hour later they were seated at a table at the Olive Garden in Sterling and they'd both placed their orders. Annie had requested a table that gave them some privacy and they were seated at a corner table away from the rest of the diners.

"Thanks Annie. I really needed to get out of there today. It's the first time since the early days I had a major breakdown like that. I don't even know what triggered it."

"I'm surprised you haven't had more bad days than what you've had," Annie said.

"Oh, there have been plenty of bad days, especially during the first few weeks. I just felt so hopeless…helpless. As I started to get the hang of things those feelings have diminished. I guess sometimes the reality just hits me hard. I'm adjusting and everything, but it's far from easy."

"As I've said before I can't even imagine how hard this is for you."

"You know, for the first few weeks I didn't think I'd ever be happy again, I felt that my life had turned into a never ending dark nightmare. Now I don't feel that way anymore. I'm starting to get the hang of things. I'm making good progress on grade 2 Braille, I've pretty much got the hang of using a computer again, and my cane skills are progressing well… I guess what I'm trying to say is that in general things are looking good, better than I dared to hope for a couple of months ago. I don't like being blind and I'd give anything to have my sight back, but…" Auggie paused to take a swig of his beer. "But, it's not a thing I can do to change it and I don't want to spend the rest of my life feeling sorry for myself, pondering over what ifs. I want to get on with things. Finish rehab, move back to my apartment, go back to work and hopefully feel useful again."

"You're getting there Auggie. One day at a time. You're doing great, from what I've heard from your instructors you're ahead of where you're expected to be at this point."

Auggie nodded and took another swig of his beer. "Enough about me and my morose ass," he said with a smile as he set his glass back down. "What's going on in your world?"

* * *

**This was sort of a challenge to put together. As much as Auggie is approaching his new world with courage and determination I**

** thought it was about time he hit a rough spot and had a little meltdown. He is only human, right?**

**Please let me know what you think in a review. :o)**


	5. Chapter 5

**As always: Thank you for the reviews, follows and favorites. :o)**

**This chapter gave me some trouble and then the muse got caught up with an idea from this weeks episode of Covert Affairs. I have a new favorite episode. Chris Gorham and Piper Perabo blew me away in this one. Amazing performances by both of them! :o) Can't wait for the next one, looks like it's a bit Auggie-centric, which I like (obviously).**

**DISCLAIMER: The usual. I don't own Annie, Auggie or Covert Affairs.**

* * *

**-Chapter 5-**

"No Mom, absolutely not," Auggie said firmly, there was a tinge of anger in his voice.

Annie stopped in her tracks in the hallway just outside Auggie's room. The door was ajar and she peaked inside. He was sitting on the bed with his Bluetooth headset in his ear and his iPhone clutched in his right hand. She noticed his knuckles were white and frustration was evident in his body language and facial expression.

"Mom, stop it. I'm not moving back to Glencoe. End. Of. Story. Just drop it!"

Auggie slammed his free hand down on the mattress in frustration.

"Mom. Listen to me. I'll be done with my rehab in about three weeks. After that I'm moving back to my apartment and I'm returning to work in little over six weeks."

Auggie paused for a few seconds and took a deep breath.

"Same position as before I left for Iraq; Head of security software at Logic. I'm lucky to have an understanding employer that's willing to spend thousands of dollars on the adaptive tech I need."

Auggie paused again, put the phone down on the bed next to his thigh and flipped his watch open to check the time.

"Mom, I've got to go. My friend Annie is coming to pick me up soon and I still need to get my things together."

There was another pause and Auggie groped around for a bit until he found the phone and picked it up.

"I'm spending the weekend at my apartment, I want to spend as much time there and in the neighborhood as possible before I move back."

There was another pause.

"Thanks Mom. Love you. Say hi to Dad for me." Auggie pushed the screen of the phone and pulled the Bluetooth headset out of his ear.

# # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # #

Annie waited for a few seconds before she knocked on the doorjamb.

"Hi Auggie! Ready to get going?"

"Give me a few minutes to get my things together, I just got off the phone with Mom and haven't had the time to pack."

"Sure. Need help?"

"No, I've got it," he said with a smile as he pulled his backpack from the bottom of his closet.

"I'll go have a word with Judith about next weeks schedule then. Be back in a few."

"Problems?" Auggie asked.

"Nope, just that big project that's due by the end of next week and we're a bit behind. I won't be able to do my Tuesday night shift."

* * *

Half an hour later they were in Annie's car, headed for his apartment in Adams Morgan. Auggie was lost in thoughts about the conversation with his mother earlier in the afternoon.

"Hey, what are you thinking about?" Annie's voice pulled him back to the present.

"Mom called me this afternoon, right before you came. She keeps insisting that I move back to Glencoe, or at least the Chicago area. She wants me closer so she can look out for me. She doesn't get that my life is in DC. I have a great apartment here, in a neighborhood I know pretty well and most important; my job is here. Getting a job isn't easy for anyone these days and I'm pretty sure that this," Auggie held up his folded white cane, "doesn't make it any easier."

"I guess it's a mother's prerogative to worry about her children? And you can't really blame her for maybe worrying a little extra about you considering the circumstances?"

"I know," Auggie said with a sigh, raking a hand through his hair. "It's just that I'm finally getting to a point where I feel ready to move on. I'm looking forward to moving back to my apartment and get back to work. To get on with my life. I know I can do it. I know it won't always be easy and it sure as hell isn't exactly what I'd planned, but I've accepted that. I'm not going to let being blind hold me back. I just wish my family would understand that. Especially Mom."

"Well, Chicago is pretty far away and as far as I know your parents have only been here to see you a couple of times, right? The last time was about a month ago if I remember correctly. Do they even know how far you've come since then?"

"Only what I've told them over the phone and via email. They're still kind of disappointed that I didn't want to do my rehab at Hines."

"Really? Wasn't there a two-month wait to get in there?"

"It was. That's what made me choose to go Reston. I'm glad I did, for several reasons," Auggie smiled and winked in Annie's direction.

"I'm glad you came to Reston too," Annie said as she reached over and grasped Auggie's hand. "If you hadn't I wouldn't have met you."

They rode in comfortable silence for the rest of the way to Auggie's place. Meeting Annie wasn't the only reason he was happy he'd decided on the VA rehab facility in Reston. It's vicinity to DC made it a hell of a lot easier to get the assistance he needed to get re-settled in his apartment. He knew that if he'd been at Hines he probably would've flown out to DC with an instructor and spent a few days setting up the apartment and his workspace. That would've been it, but now most of the fieldtrips he made for his O&M training lately had been to re-familiarize him with his neighborhood and the area around his office. He'd been to his apartment with his living skills instructor to set everything up and now he got to spend the weekends there 'till he'd be discharged in a few weeks. He was much more comfortable with this way of doing things, sort of taking it step by step.

* * *

His iPhone warbling on his nightstand woke Auggie the following morning. He groaned into his pillow, he had now idea what time it was, but he was pretty damn sure it was to early to wake up. He'd been out with Annie, Stu and a few other people until almost 2 am and the pounding in the back of his head was evidence that he should have had less to drink. He groped around and located the phone, pushing the screen to answer the call.

"Yeah…" he groaned.

"Hey Augs, everything all right?" It was his youngest brother Nathaniel; his voice was laced with worry.

"I'm fine Nate. Just a bit of a hangover, I was out with friends last night. It's been a while since I had that much to drink. I guess I'm out of practice."

"Oh, have you been discharged already? I thought you had a few weeks to go in rehab."

"Just on leave for the weekend. I'm spending it at my place."

"That's great. I guess I won't drive out to Reston to see you then."

"Huh?" Auggie's sleep-fogged mind didn't quite follow his brother.

"I'm in DC on business, arrived Thursday afternoon. It wasn't planned at all, my co-worker was supposed to go, but he came down with the flu and I had to get ready to leave on a few hours notice."

"Oh, I guess that explains why Mom didn't mention it when she called yesterday."

"Yep. Listen, do you have plans for the day? I'd really like to see you before I go back home. I've arranged to stay in DC 'till Sunday afternoon."

"Nothing firm. What time is it?"

"About 8:30 am. I thought you were at the rehab facility and not at your place sleeping off a hangover," Nate said in a way of an explanation for calling Auggie so early on a Saturday.

Auggie thought for a few seconds before answering. He needed a couple of Tylenol and more sleep before he was ready for meeting his brother.

"Give me a few hours and I'm all yours. How 'bout you come here around noon?"

"Sounds good to me. Later."

"Later," Auggie said as he ended the call and placed the phone back on his nightstand. With a groan he got out of bed and headed for the bathroom. A few minutes later he'd relieved himself and downed a couple of Tylenol. He returned to bed and set his new alarm clock for 11:15 am. He almost instantly fell back to sleep as his head hit the pillow.

* * *

**Guess what's in the next chapter? Yes, Auggie's brother comes to see him. :o)  
I hope to have it up soon, I just have a couple of other things that needs to be finished off first.**

**Please leave a review to let me know what you think AND to keep the muse motivated ;o)  
**


	6. Chapter 6

**Thank you SO much for all of the reviews, follows and favorites. :o) Sorry this chapter has taken a while to get up, I've had a busy week at work and the muse hasn't been willing to play much.**

**I must say I REALLY like the new direction they've taken Covert Affairs in this season. I like the linear storytelling and the darker tone of the show. I'm not too fond of Lena, I don't trust her. Anyway, I'll stop now, I don't wanna put any spoilers in here.**

**DISCLAIMER: As usual; I don't own Covert Affairs, I just like playing with the characters.**

* * *

**-Chapter 6-**

For the second time that morning Auggie's iPhone started buzzing on his nightstand. He regretted not turning the damn thing off before he went back to sleep. "Too late for that now," he thought as he located the phone and answered the call with a sleepy "Yes?"

"Rise and shine sleepy," Annie giggled on the other end of the phone. "Did I wake you up?"

Auggie moved to sit on the side of the bed while rubbing the sleep out his eyes. Trying to go back to sleep for the second time was not an option.

"Yeah. You're actually my second wake-up call today. My brother Nate called me earlier this morning." He reached out and found the speech button on his alarm clock. "10:30 am" the mechanical voice said.

"Hangover?" Annie asked.

"Yeah. It's been a while since I had that much to drink. I had fun though, so it's ok."

"Good. I guess a perk of being the designated driver is no hangover in the morning," Annie said with a laugh. "What did your brother want?"

"To come see me. He's in DC for the weekend, came to town on Thursday for business and extended his stay 'till tomorrow afternoon so he could spend some time with me. A co-worker of his was supposed to take the trip, but he got sick and Nate had to step in on a few hours notice."

"I guess you've got plans for the day then, just thought I'd check if you wanted to do something."

"Yeah, Nate's over around noon. I thought you were working on that big project of yours today?"

"I am, just wanted to see if you needed anything."

"I'm good," Auggie stated.

"I'll let you get on with your day then. Have a good time with your brother."

"Thanks Annie. See you tomorrow afternoon," Auggie said and ended the call. He got out of bed and headed for the bathroom. He hoped a long hot shower and then a few cups of strong coffee would make him feel better.

* * *

A few minutes after noon his doorbell rang. Auggie quickly made his way to the front door. He was nervous and excited about meeting his brother again.

"Who is it?" Auggie asked through the door.

"Me. Nate." A familiar voice came through the door and Auggie unlocked it and slid the door open. Seconds later Nate pulled him into a bear hug.

"So good to see you Auggie. How are you holding up?" Nate asked as they broke the embrace moments later.

"Been worse, getting better," Auggie replied truthfully with a smile.

"You look way better than I expected," Nate stated. "I've been worried about you."

"Why don't we continue this conversation inside over a cup of coffee?" Auggie said as he headed for the kitchen, gesturing for Nate to follow him. Nate entered and closed the door behind him. A few minutes later they were seated on Auggie's couch.

"So, how are things going? You seem to be getting along pretty well," Nate said as Auggie picked up his mug and had a sip of coffee.

"I am. It's not been easy, but I'm starting to feel ready to move back here and go back to work."

"I'm sorry I haven't come to see you sooner, it's not that I haven't wanted to. Work's been crazy lately, I just haven't been able to get away."

"It's okay Nate. I understand. I knew that by going to Reston for rehab I'd be pretty much going at it alone. I would've preferred Hines."

"Why didn't you go to Hines then?"

"Because there was a two month wait to be admitted there. The program is about four months and I didn't want to waste time waiting to be admitted to Hines. I just wanted to get on with it. Waiting for Hines wasn't an option if I was to be ready to go back to work on time. I'm due back at the office in about six weeks."

"I can understand that," Nate stated. "Listen, about work… I've got an offer for you."

"An offer? As in a job offer?" Auggie asked with surprise.

"We need a new IT guy at work, I figured it would be right up your alley. You could move into my guest house, that way you'll have some privacy, but we'll be around to help you out."

"Seriously Nate? You really think I'll give up a job as the Head of security software of one of the nations leading IT-companies to run the office servers at a Chicago real estate company?"

"Get real Augs, there's no way in hell they'll let a blind guy stay in that position. You'll probably be demoted to a developer position as soon as you go back."

"And how exactly do you know that? For your information I've kept close touch with my boss since I arrived in Reston. _He_ reached out. _He_ wants to keep me on. _He_ has faith that I can still do my job and I _can_ still do my job Nate." Auggie fought hard to keep his voice calm and even. He was seething inside, but he didn't want his brother to see how upset he was.

"Aug, we're worried about you. If you move back to Chicago we'd be able to look out for you," Nate pleaded.

"We? As in the family? I don't need anyone to look out for me Nate. I'm perfectly capable of taking care of myself."

"Really? Auggie, you're blind. How are you going to cook? Clean? Buy groceries? Get around?"

"Oh, I'm blind? Hadn't noticed that, thanks for letting me know bro." Auggie's voice was laced with sarcasm.

"Auggie…" Nate said with a sigh.

"What do you think I've been doing in rehab for the past three and a half months? I've relearnt how to do pretty much everything without seeing. It's been damn hard work Nate, and there have been moments where I've doubted that I'd ever be able to live independently again. Now I know I can do it."

Nate let a heavy sigh escape his lips. He looked over at Auggie, who was sitting up straight with a look of pure determination on his face. All of a sudden he felt like an idiot.

"Aug, I'm sorry. I don't know anything about being blind or what your rehab has been like."

"No you don't, so please stop making assumptions about my ability to live independently and do my job, okay?" Auggie said firmly.

"Okay. Can we please stop arguing and maybe do something a bit more enjoyable? It's been far too long since we spent time together."

"I think I like that idea," Auggie said with a smile.

* * *

"So, do you think you can put Mom's mind at ease and tell her that I'm not a helpless cripple?" Auggie asked Nate as they returned to his apartment late Saturday evening. They'd spent the afternoon at a baseball game and the evening at Auggie's favorite bar a couple of blocks from his apartment.

"I can do that Auggie. I'm sorry for what I said earlier, I made assumptions without knowing better."

"Thanks Nate. I understand where you were coming from. I probably would've made the same assumptions myself a few months ago. It's just that I've worked damn hard to get to where I am today and I finally feel ready to get on with my life."

"I can see that Augs," Nate said, patting Auggie's shoulder. "Thanks for hanging with me today. I had fun, it was nice to catch up."

"So did I. I guess I'll see you at Mom and Dad's for Christmas. I promised Mom I'd come home."

"I'll be there. Maybe we can get some of the guys from wrestling together and go out one day? I know some of them are coming to town for the holidays."

"Sounds good to me Nate. We'll keep in touch, okay?"

"Will do," Nate said as he pulled Auggie in for a hug.

* * *

**So...what do you think about Auggie's brother Nate?**

**Please leave a review and let me know what you think :o)**


	7. Chapter 7

**Sorry for taking so long to update. Real-life and work has been very demanding lately.**

**DISCLAIMER: Don't own Auggie, Annie or Covert Affairs**

* * *

**-Chapter 7-**

Auggie had been out of the rehab center for little over a week and he was happy to be back in his apartment. The transition had gone better than he'd dared to hope for. He would never admit it, but he had been really nervous when he checked out of the safe bubble of rehab. He'd felt a bit lost for the first couple of days, but his fears had been unfounded. His living skills instructor and a social worker from the rehab center had helped him organize a cleaner to go over his apartment twice a month and a laundry service that picked up and delivered for his shirts, dress slacks, suits and linens. He had a washer and dryer in his apartment and he was okay with washing towels, t-shirts, jeans and other things that didn't require ironing himself. He'd been a bit apprehensive about the grocery deliveries, but the first delivery had gone well and the staff at the small supermarket a couple of blocks away had proven to be very helpful when he'd realized there were a few things he'd forgotten to add to his order.

The hardest part had been the awkward encounters with neighbors and acquaintances that didn't know what had happened to him in Iraq and they were of course full of questions. Auggie hated going over the story again and again. Public transportation was another annoyance. Since his drivers license was no longer valid Auggie now depended on public transportation or cabs to get around. He'd mapped out the route from his apartment to his office with an Orientation and Mobility specialist and at the time it had seemed straightforward enough. The problem was that the speaker system that was supposed to announce all the stops seemed to be out of function on about half the buses operating the route and not all of the drivers were helpful and willing to let him know where to get off. After ending up stranded at the wrong stop a couple of times Auggie declared that he was done with taking the bus and hired a car service to take him to work. He'd rely and that or cabs for when he needed to go somewhere that wasn't within walking distance.

Christmas was little over a week away and right after New Year he was going back to work. He was looking forward to getting back to doing something useful with his life again and he was very happy that his boss was supportive. Auggie had been at his office a few times over the last weeks. A couple of times with instructors from the rehab center, to get his office set up and to familiarize him with the layout of the offices again. The orientation session had gone smoother than he'd expected, even though it had been almost a year since he'd been there he had a pretty good memory of the layout. He'd been greeted warmly by his co-workers and subordinates, and a couple of awkward moments aside, things had gone better than he'd dared to hope for.

Before going back to work he had to tackle a solo journey to Glencoe. Nate had offered to come to DC and assist him, but Auggie's stubborn streak had set in full force and he wanted to prove to both himself and his family that he was still capable of travelling alone. He was well aware that several members of his family had reservations about his ability to take care of himself and live independently and he didn't want to add fuel to that fire. The nagging from his mother had subsided somewhat after Nate's visit, but she still expressed that she'd be more comfortable with him living in the Chicago area. His iPhone ringing pulled him back to reality. It was the tune he'd assigned to Stu.

"Hey Stu, what's up?"

"I was hoping you had time to help me with my end-of-term project. I'm sort of stuck and I need a second opinion. Maybe you pick up on something I've missed."

"Sure, I don't have anything planned this afternoon. Just put it on a thumb drive and bring it over here. Do you have my address?"

"Oh, that's right. Annie mentioned you were back at your place. I don't have your address."

Auggie gave Stu his address and they agreed that they'd go out for dinner and a few beers after they finished their work on Stu's project.

"I can't believe the solution was that simple," Stu said with half a laugh. It had only taken Auggie half an hour to figure out why Stu had been stuck and he'd written a few lines of code and given him a few pointers on the best ways to work from there.

"This has been my livelihood for a few years, remember? Also, it's easy to miss the obvious when you've been working on something for a while. At work I often have someone on my team look at stuff I'm working on, to get a second opinion. It can be very useful."

"Well, thanks for helping me out. I was almost certain I'd have to start over again when I hit that road block."

"No problem. I've mostly been twiddling my thumbs for the last few days. Having something productive to do is always good."

"When do you go back to work?"

"January 4th. Gotta get through Christmas with my family first. Hopefully my mother doesn't tie me up in my old room and insist I stay in Glencoe." Auggie said the last part with a bit of a chuckle. They sat in silence, sipping their coffee.

* * *

With a relieved sigh Auggie settled into his seat. The first part of his solo journey to visit his family had gone better than he'd dared to hope for. The Travellers Assistance staff had been great, as had the gate agent and flight attendant that had assisted him when he boarded his flight. He hoped that that Travellers Assistance staff at O'Hare was as great as the ones at Reagan. Nate had volunteered to pick him up and take him to their parents' house.

Close to three hours later Auggie was waiting for the rest of the passengers to disembark from the plane. He'd retrieved his cane from the seat pocket in front of him and had it firmly clutched in his hand. When it sounded like most of them were off he pulled his messenger bag from under the seat in front of him and got to his feet and as he stepped into the isle he pulled the strap of his bag over his head and slowly made his way down the isle. When he reached the front of the plane he felt a hand on his right forearm.

"Do you need any assistance Mr. Anderson?"

"There's supposed to be someone from Travellers Assistance waiting for me at the end of the jetway, I'll be fine. Thanks for asking," he said with a smile as he unfurled his cane.

"No problem. We're here to assist our passengers."

Auggie smiled and nodded as he carefully stepped off the plane and onto the jetway. He was nervous and excited at the same time. He hoped the time he was about to spend with his family would prove to them that he was still the same person and, more importantly, that he was capable of taking care of himself. A wave of determination washed over him as he squared his shoulders and set his cane in motion.

* * *

**Please let me know what I think in a review :o)**


	8. Chapter 8

**Thanks again for the reviews and alerts. :o)**

**I've been struggling a bit with this chapter, but here it is. I hope you like it. The story is coming to an end, I think a couple of more chapters and we're done. We'll just have to wait and see what the muse comes up with next. ;o)**

**DISCLAIMER: I don't own Annie, Auggie or Covert Affairs.**

* * *

**-Chapter 8-**

As Auggie came to the end of the jetway no one was waiting for him. He knew the flight had landed a little early, so he decided to wait a few minutes before contacting the Travellers Assistance office. He took a few tentative steps to the side and hoped he wasn't too much in the way as he leaned on his cane and waited. A few minutes later he heard the voices and footfalls of the crew from the plane coming up the jetway behind him.

"Mr. Anderson, are you okay?" the friendly stewardess from earlier asked.

"I'm fine, I was just about to call Travellers Assistance and find out where my guide is."

"Where are you going? Baggage claim?"

"Yeah, my brother's meeting me there."

"I'm heading there too," she said as she touched the back of Auggie's left hand. He tentatively took her arm.

"You know how to be a sighted guide?" Auggie asked with surprise.

"My father is blind, so I've pretty much known how to be a sighted guide since I was tall enough for him to reach my shoulder without bending down. I'm the oldest of three kids, so Mom often had her hands full with my younger siblings, leaving to assist Dad if he needed it in unfamiliar places."

"Oh, well then you've got more experience than me. I've only been bumbling around in the dark for about six months," Auggie said with a small laugh. "You can call me Auggie by the way, Mr. Anderson makes me think of my Dad."

"Oh, I'm Shawna. So you're pretty fresh out of rehab then?" she asked.

"They sprung me little over two weeks ago. This is my first time travelling solo after I was blinded. Thanks for helping me, I must admit I was freaking out a little bit back there."

"I can only imagine. I'm happy to help. Are you from Chicago?"

"Glencoe. Most of my family lives in the area. I've been living in DC for a few years, so I'm just here for the holidays."

Auggie and Shawna easily made their way through the crowded terminal while chatting about their families and lives. The crowds were a bit overwhelming to Auggie, but the knowledge that Shawna was an experienced sighted guide and her bubbly personality made him relax a little bit.

A few minutes later they arrived in the baggage claim area and Shawna guided Auggie to the carousel for his flight.

"Looks like the bags are arriving on the carrousel Auggie, what does your bag look like? I'll fetch it for you."

"It's a black suitcase with a bright blue strap around it. My brother should be here any minute, I'm sure he can manage that Shawna."

"Oh, I think I see it. I'll be right back," she exclaimed and before Auggie could say anything else he heard her walking away. She returned a few moments later with Auggie's suitcase in tow.

"Here's you go Auggie," Shawna said as she placed the suitcase next to Auggie and placed his left hand on the extended handle. "My husband is waiting, so I've gotta run. Your brother should be here soon, right?"

"Yeah, he shouldn't be too far away. Thanks for helping me. I really appreciate it."

"No problem. Merry Christmas."

"Merry Christmas to you too," Auggie said with a genuine smile. Shawna patted his arm and walked toward where the exit where her husband was waiting for her.

"So, picking up stewardesses now? You've still got it bro," Nate said as he walked up to Auggie and nudged with his elbow just as Shawna reached her husband.

"Oh har. Travellers Assistance didn't show up and just as I was about to call them and find out what was happening when the crew came off the plane. Shawna offered to lead me here; I figured it was better than trying to sort things out with Travellers Assistance. I would probably still be stuck at the gate if she hadn't offered to help."

"Shawna, huh? Did she give you her number too?"

"Very funny Nate. She's married; she just offered to help me. Her father is blind, so she knows about blind people."

"I'm just teasing Auggie. You have everything?"

"Yeah, I'm good to go. Let's head to Glencoe."

* * *

A couple of hours later Auggie had unpacked his suitcase and was pretty much settled into his room at his parents' house. He grasped his cane off the dresser by the door and unfurled it. The house was familiar territory and his parents rarely moved the furniture, but decided to take the belt and suspenders approach and make sure everything was where he remembered before he started moving around without the cane. When he entered the family room a few minutes later he heard the rustle of a newspaper from bay window where his father's favorite chair was located. The faint smell of his father's cologne confirmed it was him.

"Hi Dad," Auggie said as he crossed the room. To his relief everything seemed to be where he remembered and he easily found the chair opposite from his father and sat down.

"Have you settled in okay son?" John Anderson asked his son as he watched his youngest son fold his cane and place it next to his thigh in the chair. It was still hard for him to accept that Auggie was blind and he had to swallow hard to get rid of the lump of emotion that had been building in his throat since Auggie entered the room.

"Yeah, seems like most of the furniture is where I remember, so I won't be needing this in the house," Auggie said, holding up his cane before setting it back down.

"We'd done some rearranging, but we put everything back to where it was the last time you were here to make things easier for you."

"Oh…that was really thoughtful," Auggie said with a smile. He really was grateful, because it meant he could move around freely and not worry about blundering into furniture.

"So, how are you holding up?" John answered as he folded the paper and placed it on the table between the chairs.

"I'm not great, but I'm getting there. Looking forward to going back to work in a couple of weeks. It'll be nice to get back to doing something productive."

"You don't think you're taking on to much by going back to a managing position after this? I know you said it was challenging before you went to Iraq."

"I understand where you're coming from and part of me is a bit apprehensive about it, but my boss has faith in me and wants me back. I know it won't be easy, but I think I can do it and I want to try."

"I completely understand that. I know you worked hard to get that job and I believe in you son. I just don't want you to take on too much too soon."

"I'm pretty sure that if I survive Christmas here I'll survive work too," Auggie said with a small laugh. "I must admit the prospect of dealing with all of them at once is a bit overwhelming."

"Well, tonight it's only you, me and your mother here and judging from the aroma that's coming from the kitchen I think dinner's about ready. Shall we go find out what you mother has prepared for us?"

"Sounds good to me," Auggie said as he got to his feet. He was relieved it was only him and his parents for a couple of days, it gave him some time to get reacquainted with the house without an audience.

* * *

**As always I'd love to hear what you think about the chapter :o)**


	9. Chapter 9

**As always; reviews and alerts are are appreciated :o)**

**DISCLAIMER: I don't own anything; just love playing with the characters.**

* * *

**-Chapter 9-**

His iPhone warbling on his nightstand woke Auggie the following morning. He felt like he was still half asleep when he answered the call.

"Hello," he said, his voice husky from sleep.

"Good morning Auggie, did I wake you?" It was Annie.

"Yeah…" he said groggily as he sat up and groped around the nightstand for his watch. He flipped the crystal open and checked the time. Around 8:15 am, he'd slept longer than he usually did.

"Sorry, I forgot you're in a different time zone," she apologized.

"It's only an hours difference from DC and I'm usually up earlier than this, so don't worry about it. I guess yesterday wiped me out."

"How did things go yesterday? Did everything work out with Travellers Assistance and on the flight?

"Everything worked smoothly at Reagan. Guy from TA met me on the curb when I stepped out from the cab, he was great, even took me by Starbucks to get a cup of coffee. The gate agent and the stewardesses were great to, but things kinda went tits up when I arrived at O'Hare. There was no one from TA waiting for me when I got off the plane. Thankfully one of the stewardesses came to my rescue and led me to baggage claim where Nate was waiting for me."

"Glad things went mostly smoothly. Have you called TA at O'Hare to find out what happened?"

"Nope, haven't really had time to do it. I'm gonna set up my computer this morning, so I'll shoot them an email about it. Everything worked out, but if that stewardess hadn't been there… I have to admit I was starting to freak out."

"I'm glad it worked out, but I agree, you should definitely let them know what happened yesterday. It might prevent it from happening again you know."

"Still, it was better than I feared, so it's all good."

"How are things with your parents? Is your mom still insisting that you move back to their house?"

"I have a feeling that's what she wants, but she haven't said anything so far. Dad's being pretty supportive; he's just worried I'm taking on too much too soon by going back to a managing position."

"I'm glad he's being supportive and I hope your Mom doesn't start nagging you about moving back there. I hope the rest the visit goes well. When will the rest of the family arrive?"

"I'm actually not sure. I'll ask my parents about that at breakfast…"

A knock on his door caught his attention.

"Hold on for a sec Annie," Auggie said and moved the phone from his ear. "Yes?"

He heard the door opening and the smell of roses told him it was his mother.

"Morning Mom," he greeted her cheerfully.

"Good morning Auggie, how did you know it was me?" Carolyn Anderson asked her youngest son with surprise lacing her voice.

"Your perfume. It's just you, Dad and me in the house and I doubt Dad has started using your perfume."

"Oh…" his mother seemed a bit flustered. "Um, I see you're not dressed yet. Is breakfast in half an hour okay?"

"Sounds good to me Mom," Auggie said with a smile. "Thanks."

Auggie heard his mother leave his room and shut the door behind her. He picked up the phone again.

"Annie? You still there?"

"Yeah. I guess you'd better get ready if your Mom's got breakfast ready in half an hour."

"Yep. What are you up to for the next couple of days? Spending Christmas with your sister?"

Annie sighed audibly, which piqued Auggie's curiosity.

"What's going on?"

"Nothing… It's just that last minute Danielle's husband's parents decided they're coming. Let's just say we're not each other's greatest fans."

"Oh, sorry to hear that."

"Don't worry, it's not the first time I've spent an awkward holiday with them. When will you be back in DC?"

"January 2nd, I'm catching a morning flight. If I remember correctly I land at Reagan at 10:15 am."

"I'll pick you up, but we'll talk about that when it gets closer, ok?. Have a good time with your family."

"We'll do. I'll try to have a good time. I hope your Christmas isn't too bad."

"Thanks Auggie. Talk to you soon, okay?"

"You bet!" Annie replied and ended the call.

* * *

25 minutes later Auggie entered his parents' kitchen. He heard his mother at the stove, probably frying eggs, and the rustle of a newspaper told him that his father was sitting in his customary spot by the kitchen table reading the Chicago Tribune.

"Good morning," he greeted his parents as he crossed the room to where the coffee maker was sitting on the counter, grabbed a mug from the cabinet above it and poured himself a cup. The knowledge that everything was arranged the same way it had been the last time he'd been in Glencoe gave him the confidence to move around pretty freely without fearing he'd bump into stuff.

"Good morning Auggie," John greeted him as he put the newspaper down and watched Auggie find his chair by the kitchen table and take a seat. "Sleep well?"

"Very! It's good to be home," he said with a genuine smile. Albeit a bit apprehensive about the invasion of his brothers and their families over he coming days he was happy to be there.

"We're happy you're here too," Carolyn said as she placed a plate in front of Auggie.

"Scrambled eggs at six, bacon at ten and two pieces of toast at two o'clock. I already buttered the toast for you. There's a fork and a napkin to the right of your plate."

"Thanks Mom," he said. He heard her place two more plates on the table and the scraping of a chair as she took a seat. They ate in silence and after they finished his mother cleared their plates and flatware off the table and refilled their coffee mugs. He heard the rustle as his father picked up the newspaper.

"So, anything interesting in the paper this morning?" Auggie asked as he took a sip of his coffee.

"Not really, just the regular holiday fillers," John said. "Want me to read the headlines to you?"

"Nah, I'll set up my laptop and Braille display and check out the online papers. I need to check my email anyway."

"I'd love to see how that set up works, want to show me sometime?"

"Sure, I'd be happy to. Listen, I've been meaning to ask you who's coming here for Christmas. I know Nate is coming, but what about the rest of the family?"

"Tom and James are coming tomorrow with their wives and kids. Robert and his family is spending Christmas with Debra's family this year."

"Okay, good to know," Auggie made a mental note to use his cane after his two older brothers and their families arrived. Even if he felt comfortable moving around the house freely he didn't trust the kids to remember to not leave him any traps and he didn't want to risk getting hurt.

"Do you have anything planned while you're here?" Carolyn asked Auggie.

"Nothing concrete, but Nate mentioned that some of the guys from the wrestling team might be in town for the holidays. If that's the case we'll try to get together and have a reunion of sorts."

"Oh, that's right, Nate mentioned that after he visited you in DC back in November."

"How does the sidewalks look? Lots of ice?" Auggie asked.

"They're pretty clear. A few patches of ice here and there. Why?" John sounded confused.

"I figured I'd take a walk around the neighborhood a bit later today. I could use some fresh air and I need to stretch my legs."

"Are you sure that's safe? You won't get lost?" His mothers voice was laced with worry.

"Mom, I grew up in this neighborhood. I know it like the back of my hand, I'll be fine."

"I can go with you," Carolyn offered.

"There's no need Mom, really. I'm fully capable of taking a walk around the neighborhood without assistance."

"But what if you slip on a patch of ice and fall?"

"I won't. I'll be cautious. Don't worry," he said, hoping his mother would back off. "Well, I'll go upstairs and set up my computer first. I really should check my email. The guys at work have already started shooting problems at me."

Auggie grabbed his mug and got to his feet. After refilling it at the coffee maker he went back up to his room to set up his laptop and check his email. He tried to not let his mother's coddling bother him and hoped that spending the next week and a half with his parents (and the rest of the family) would prove to them that he was still capable of taking care of himself and as independent as a blind guy could be.

* * *

**Please leave me a review and let me know what you think :o)**


	10. Chapter 10

**Wow! The response chapter 9 blew me away. Thank you so much for the reviews - they really kicked the muse into gear! :o) **

**Here's your reward - a brand new chapter. I hope you like this just as much. I had fun writing it. :o)**

**DISCLAIMER: I don't own Auggie, Annie or Covert Affairs.**

* * *

**-Chapter 10-**

After spending a couple of hours working on a piece of programming one of his subordinates were struggling with Auggie decided it was time to get some fresh air. He put on his coat and scarf and gathered up his gloves and cane before heading downstairs. In the hall he located his boots in the closet and sat down on the bench by the door to put them on. He heard someone coming down the hallway from the kitchen; from the footfalls he gathered it was his mother. When she spoke a few moments later his suspicions were confirmed.

"Going for that walk?" Carolyn asked while watching Auggie tie his shoelaces.

"Yep, I need some fresh air," Auggie replied as he got to his feet. He wrapped the scarf around his neck and zipped his coat before he grabbed his gloves and cane from the bench and started walking toward the door. "I'll be back soon."

"I'm planning on lunch around 1 o'clock."

"I'll be back in time for that." Auggie opened the door and stepped out on the front steps. After closing the door behind him he put on his gloves and unfurled his cane. He easily walked down the driveway and out to the curb. He paused for a second, before turning right. He walked confidently, but cautiously, down the street toward downtown Glencoe.

* * *

Auggie had walked a few of blocks away from his parents' house when a car pulled into a driveway a few feet ahead of him. He heard a car door slam shut and someone approaching him.

"Auggie Anderson? Is that you?" a vaguely familiar male voice said. Auggie stopped and pulled his cane upright, placing both of his hands on the grip. He took a deep breath before speaking.

"Um…yeah, it's me. I'm sorry, your voice is familiar, but…"

"Oh, sorry," he said sounding a bit flustered, before he regained his composure. "It's Ethan Matthews. What happened to you Aug? What's with the cane? Are you blind?"

A wide smile spread across Auggie's face, leave it to Ethan to cut to the chase. Ethan had been one of his best friends in High School and they'd been on the wrestling team together. They'd drifted apart when they went to college, Auggie had studied computer science at Northwestern while Ethan had moved to Boston to study law at Harvard. They'd seen each other a few times over the years, but they hadn't kept in touch.

"Ethan! Sorry I didn't recognize your voice. It's been a while since the last time I met you. It's sort of a long story, but yes, I'm blind. I'm not walking around with this for fun," Auggie said, gesturing to his cane.

"Well, how about catching up? Where were you heading?"

"I'd like to catch up," Auggie said as he removed the glove on his right hand and quickly flipped his watch open and checked the time. 12:15 pm, "But Mom's serving lunch at 1 o'clock so I don't really have time right now."

"Well, how long are you in town for? Maybe we could get together after Christmas? I'm here 'till the 29th."

"I'm not going back to DC 'till January 2nd, so I'm sure we can manage to meet up before that." Auggie got his wallet out of his pocket and retrieved a business card. He held it out in Ethan's direction. "Here, my cell phone number is on there, as well as my email. I'd ask for your card, but it wouldn't do me much good. Can you email or text me your contact info?"

"Thanks Auggie. I'll send you my contact info. I don't mean to pry, but when did you lose your sight? I haven't heard anything about it and I thought my mother was caught up on all the gossip."

"Almost six months ago. I was about halfway trough my second tour in Iraq when a bomb went off in front of me. I finished rehab a couple of weeks ago. Now I just gotta survive Christmas with my family before I go back to DC and go back to work."

"I see on you business card that you work in software development. Still a computer geek, huh?"

Auggie laughed. "Once a geek always a geek. It'll be good get back to work and do something productive again. My team is already sending me stuff they're struggling with; I can't wait to go back to full time work. I've had too much time to sit around and think lately. Well, I guess I should head back to Mom and Dad's before Mom sends out a search party. She had her reservations about me going out alone." Auggie finished the sentence with a bit of a sigh.

"Ah, I guess that explains why your Mom's been standing on the corner pretending to not watch us."

"What?" Anger started to rise in Auggie. "Please tell me you're kidding."

"'Fraid not Aug."

Auggie took a deep breath and closed his eyes. The fact that his mother had followed him to keep an eye on him pissed him off.

"Has she realized you've seen her?"

"Doesn't look like it."

"Then pretend like you haven't. I'll deal with her when I've proven to her that I'm capable of getting home without getting lost or breaking something. I'd better head back. Send me your contact info and we'll get together before you leave town, okay?"

"Sounds great. Good to see you Aug."

"Good to see you too Ethan," Auggie said with a smile. "And Merry Christmas, say hi to your folks."

"Merry Christmas to you too. Don't be too hard on your Mom, I'm sure she means well."

Auggie sighed and nodded as he turned around. He walked confidently back towards his childhood home and swept his cane with a deliberate cadence. He desperately wanted to prove to his mother that he was not a helpless cripple and that he was still capable of taking a walk around a familiar neighborhood without getting lost or hurt.

* * *

Fifteen minutes later Auggie walked up the driveway of his parents' house. He got the key for the front door out of his pocket and let himself into the house. After shrugging out of his coat he hung it in the closet by the door. He also put his scarf on the hanger and put his gloves on one of the pockets. That done he sat on the bench by the door and took off his boots and then he them on the shoe rack on the bottom of the closet before he closed it and retrieved is cane, phone and wallet from where he'd put them the bench and headed for the kitchen. As Auggie entered the room he heard his mother puttering around in the area by the stove.

"Hi Mom, I'm back, still in one piece," he greeted her. "Is there coffee ready?"

"I was just about to start a pot…"

"If you still keep everything where you used to I'll do that and you can keep working on lunch," Auggie said with a smile.

"Okay. Everything is where it always have been."

Auggie placed his cane, wallet and phone on the end of the kitchen table and walked across the room to the counter where the coffee maker was located. He easily found the coffee canister and a few minutes later the coffee was brewing.

"So, what are you making for lunch?" he asked Carolyn as he waited for the coffee to finish brewing.

"Tomato soup and grilled cheese sandwiches."

"Sounds delicious. Anything I can do to help you?"

Auggie sensed his mother's hesitation as soon as he'd asked the question and he fought hard to not lose his temper.

"Well, there's a loaf of bread in the bread keeper and the butter's on the 2nd shelf from the top in the fridge, right side. You can butter the bread for me."

"Sure." Auggie easily found the bread and placed it on the counter. After a bit of fumbling in the fridge he found what felt like a packet of butter. He held it out in his mother's direction and she confirmed it was indeed butter. Auggie was glad she let him do something instead of just asking him to sit and wait to be served. The anger he'd felt when Ethan had told him that she'd followed him was slowly dwindling away. He did understand where his mother was coming from and he realized that she probably just needed time to understand what he was capable of and what he could use a bit of assistance with. Auggie decided to let it go, at least for the time being. He still had a week and a half to show his family what he was capable of and he was determined to prove to them that he was the same person as before the bomb went off in front of him.

* * *

**Again; please leave a review and let me know what you think :o)**


	11. Chapter 11

**Wow, you blew me away with the response to chapter 10. Thank you SO much for the reviews and alerts.**

**Here's another reward chapter. The muse is on a roll! :o) Since so many are missing Annie I hope you like what you're about to read... Enjoy your reward!**

**DISCLAIMER: As usual; I don't own Annie, Auggie or Covert Affairs.**

* * *

**-Chapter 11-**

Auggie spent most of the morning of December 23rd working on his computer. He was nervous about the arrival of his two older brothers, their wives and kids and later that day and work kept him from thinking too much about the coming 48 hours. He was glad they'd be leaving after their big brunch on Christmas Day. All of a sudden he felt an urge to call Annie; he needed to talk to her about everything that had happened the past 24 hours. He found his iPhone on the desk by his computer and quickly dialed Annie's number. She picked up on the 3rd ring.

"Hey Auggie, how are things in Glencoe?" Auggie immediately picked up on the fake cheerfulness in her voice.

"Hey there. What's wrong?"

"Nothing," she answered, a little bit too harsh and a little bit too fast.

"I call bullshit. I know you well enough to know that you sound upset."

Annie sighed. She should've known that she couldn't get anything past Auggie. He was one of the most astute people she'd ever known, and his hearing seemed to be sharper than most people's.

"I can't get anything past you, can I?"

"Nope, spill!"

"My sister just called and said she'd rather I don't come over for Christmas dinner on Christmas eve. Apparently she isn't 'up' for dealing with the tension between her in-laws and me. She's bringing my presents over later today."

"What? Then what are you going to do?"

Annie sighed. "I guess I'll just have to rent a few movies and make myself dinner. Well, heat up something in the microwave..."

Auggie thought for a few seconds. "I don't think so," he said. "Stay by the phone, I'll call you back soon."

* * *

Auggie hurried downstairs and headed for the kitchen, he assumed his mother would be in there preparing lunch. As he entered the room he heard the familiar sounds of her attaching the dough hook to her KitchenAid mixer and then she turned it on.

"Auggie, what can I do for you?" she asked as she saw him enter the room.

"I just got off the phone with my friend Annie and I want to ask you a favor."

"Okay, what?" she asked, slightly puzzled.

"She'll be spending Christmas alone, there's some kind of conflict between her and her sister's in-laws and she's not welcome to her sister's house for Christmas. If I can get her a plane ticket I'd like to invite her here if you're okay with it."

"Annie…she's the girl you met in rehab, right?"

"Yeah, she volunteers at the rehab center a couple of times a week, that's how I met her. She's a good friend Mom. I don't think I could've gotten through rehab without her."

"Just a friend?" his mother queried.

"At the moment, yes," Auggie said with a smile. "Please Mom?"

"Okay, if you can get her here in time for Christmas dinner tomorrow at 5 pm she's welcome to spend Christmas with us, as long as she's okay with sharing a room with you. I promised the kids they could have Robert's room."

"It'll be fine. We're adults and my bed is big enough for both of us. If she's not comfortable with sharing the bed you still have those folded up guest beds, right?"

"Yeah, they're in the storage closet on the end of the hallway upstairs."

"Thanks Mom, you're the best. I guess I'll go see if I can find her a ticket."

Auggie left the kitchen and headed back upstairs.

* * *

Half an hour after he'd ended the call with Annie he called her back.

"What's going on Auggie?" she asked as she answered the call.

"Wanna come to Glencoe and celebrate Christmas with me?"

"What?"

"I talked to Mom and as long as you're okay with sharing a room with me you're welcome to spend Christmas here. I checked and there are two options for flights; the first one is a morning flight out of Reagan via Cleveland. You'd land at O'Hare around noon. The second one is a direct flight from Reagan that leaves at 11:30 and lands at O'Hare at two o'clock. I haven't looked at return flights yet, I don't know how long you want to stay here for."

"Auggie, last minute plane tickets on Christmas Eve are insanely expensive. I can't afford that."

"I'll pay. Just tell me which flight you'd prefer and how long you want to stay."

"I can't let you do that Auggie. I appreciate it, but it doesn't feel right."

"Annie. Please let me, I can afford it and it's the least I can do after all you've done for me. Please come."

Annie sighed in defeat. She was tempted, she missed Auggie more than she thought she would and spending Christmas with him and his family sure beat sitting alone in her small apartment with a nuked dinner and a rented movie.

"If you're really sure about this I'd prefer the morning flight, but if it's much more expensive than the other one that's okay too. When I fly back is really up to you. Can't you just find out what's cheapest?"

"I'll go ahead and book the morning flight now and we'll discuss your flight home when you get here tomorrow, okay? I'll email you the ticket as soon as I have it and I'll find a way to come pick you up at O'Hare. There will be seven people with a valid drivers license here tomorrow, so one of them should be able to drive me there."

"I don't know what to say. Thanks Auggie, you're the best."

They chatted for a few moments before they ended the call. Auggie went straight to the Delta Airlines website and booked Annie's flight. As soon as the ticket arrived in his inbox he forwarded it to Annie. Then he headed downstairs to have lunch with his parents.

* * *

Early in the afternoon Auggie was back in his room, freshening up before his brothers and their families were arriving. He changed from the worn jeans and faded t-shirt he'd been wearing and into a pair of dark jeans and a tailored black shirt. He also brushed his hair and ran his hands across his face to double check that he'd done a thorough job shaving that morning. He wanted to make a good first impression on his brothers and their families. A few minutes two he heard the front door opening and the booming voice of his oldest brother James rang through the house, followed by his wife Heather. He didn't hear their kids, 15 year old Matthew and 12 year old Meghan, which surprised him. Auggie took a deep breath and headed downstairs, walking down the stairs as confidently as he could muster. As he reached the bottom step everyone went quiet. Just as he was about to crack a blind joke to lighten the mood he heard someone approaching and before he could say anything James wrapped his arms around him and pulled him in for a bear hug.

"Auggie, I'm so glad you're here. How are you doing?"

"It's good to be here bro. I'm doing pretty good, looking forward to get back to work."

They broke the embrace and another set of arms wrapped around him. It was James' wife Heather.

"I'm so glad to see that you seem to be getting along pretty well Auggie. I've been worried about you."

"Thanks Heather. I won't pretend it's been an easy road, but I'm ready to get on with my life."

"Glad to hear it and I have no doubts that you can do it!" She gave Auggie a pat on the back and released him.

"Aren't Matt and Megs here with you?" he asked, his niece and nephew had been uncharacteristically quiet if they were there.

"No, they're over at Mom's. They'll be here first thing in the morning. They wanted to come with us now, but they'd promised Mom they'd come a long time ago, I wouldn't let them disappoint her."

"Ah, okay. That explains why I didn't hear them bickering," Auggie said with a laugh as the front door opened again.

"Uncle Auggie! Uncle Auggie!" his brother Tom's six-year-old twins, Bradley and Brittany squealed with excitement when they saw their favorite uncle. He squatted down and before he knew it he felt two sets of small arms wrap around him.

"Hey you two, what's up?" Auggie asked as they let him go. "You started 1st grade this fall, didn't you?"

"Yes, we did! It's awesome!"

"Well that's great. I can't wait to hear more about it," Auggie said with a smile as he got to his feet.

"Uncle Auggie?" Bradley said in a small, insecure voice.

"Yeah?"

"Um…Mom said you can't see anymore, is it true?"

"Yeah, it's true. I'm blind," Auggie confirmed.

"Is it scary? I'd be scared if I couldn't see."

"Not anymore, but right after I found out I'd never see again I was really scared."

"That's good. It would be bad if you had to be scared all the time."

"Yeah, that would be bad," Auggie agreed with a smile.

"Good to see you bro," Tom said as he pulled Auggie in for a hug.

"Likewise Tom, now where's your beautiful wife?"

"I'm right here Auggie," Tom's wife Cynthia said as she wrapped her arms around him. "Glad to see you're doing okay. I've been worried about you."

"Thanks Cyn, I'm doing much better than I thought I ever would be," Auggie said as he reciprocated her warm hug. He was relieved that the first encounter with his brothers and their families had gone well. Now he just had to make sure both him and Annie had a good time for the coming few days.

* * *

**So, Annie's coming to spend Christmas with Auggie and his family.  
Tune in for the next chapter to see how that works out ;o)**

**Please let me know what you thought about this one in a review.  
You know I love them! So does the muse!**


	12. Chapter 12

**OMG! The response to Chapter 11 was mind-blowing. You are amazing!**

**The muse is still on her best behavior, so here's your reward; the longest chapter yet! I'm up at 5:30 AM to publish this before I go to work. Hope you enjoy!**

**AN 2: I realize I might have been half asleep when I uploaded the chapter, and I've gone over and tried to clean up any mistakes. Please shoot me a DM and let me know if there are things I've missed.**

**DISCLAIMER: I don't own Annie, Auggie or Covert Affairs.**

* * *

**-Chapter 12-**

After breakfast on Christmas Eve the Andersons gathered in the family room to catch up. Nate had arrived before breakfast, with Matthew and Meghan in tow. Auggie had mentioned that Annie would join them, but conversation had quickly shifted to other topics. Cynthia brought up her arrival again.

"Who's Annie? Is she your girlfriend Auggie? I didn't know you were dating someone."

"I'm not dating Annie, she's a good friend. She's a volunteer at the rehab center and we became friends pretty fast. She's 25 and doing her last year of a Master's degree in linguistics at Georgetown. Anyway, who's gonna take me to O'Hare to pick her up? Her flight arrives at noon."

"I'll take you Aug," Nate said quickly, he wanted to spend some one-on-one time with Auggie. "It'll give us a chance to catch up a bit."

"Thanks Nate. I appreciate it."

"No problem! We'll leave at about 11, okay?" Nate asked.

"Sounds good to me." Auggie paused for a second before he stood and cleared his throat to get everyone's attention. "Since everyone is gathered I figured I'd get this out of the way. I know some of you are a bit insecure about how to help me and what I might need help with, so I thought I'd give you a few pointers, okay?"

"Good idea Auggie," Tom said in an encouraging tone.

"First of all; I'm still me. Auggie. The only thing that has changed is that I'm blind now. In general I don't need much help, that's what four months of rehab have been all about; learning to be as independent as possible without being able to see. I'll ask for help if I need it, please don't jump in and take over if I struggle a bit with something. I want and need to try to figure things out on my own, but this is still new to me and I'm still adjusting and learning."

He paused and a chorus of mumbled 'got it' and 'okay' hit his ears. "The most important thing you can do for me is don't move furniture or leave anything out that I might trip over. If you can all do that I can move around pretty freely without using my cane or worrying about running into or tripping over obstacles I can't see. Also put stuff back where you find it in the fridge and in general. I guess that's the basics. If something else comes up, like I might need someone to guide me in an unfamiliar place, we'll deal with that when it happens. I don't wanna bore you with the whole get-to-know-the-blind-guy lecture."

There was an awkward silence and then Heather spoke.

"Thanks for doing that Auggie. I think many of us are a bit insecure and what you just said was very helpful. I guess it's a learning curve for the entire family, since most of us haven't seen you since before you left for Iraq." She reached over and gave Auggie's forearm a squeeze as she finished the sentence.

Again mumbled agreements came from around the room. Auggie let himself relax a bit and sat back down.

"I know. I wish I'd been able to do my rehab at the Hines VA, it would've been easier to include you, but there was a two month wait to be admitted there and when I could be admitted to the rehab facility in Sterling right away I accepted. I wanted to get on with it."

"Oh, we don't blame you for that Aug, not at all. We're just glad you're here now and that you're spending some time with us," Tom said with a smile. He was glad Auggie had taken the initiative to tell the family a bit about what he needed help with and what he could manage on his own.

Auggie nodded in consent. He didn't know what else to say, he was relieved his family seemed to get the message.

* * *

"Aaaggeeee," Annie squealed with excitement as she saw Auggie waiting for her in the baggage claim area at O'Hare. He was leaning on his cane and when he heard her voice he straightened his spine and opened his arms. Within seconds he felt her wrapping her arms around him and the familiar smell of Jo Malone Grapefruit tingled in his nose.

"Hey there! Someone's happy to see me," he said with a laugh.

"You have no idea how grateful I am for this Auggie. I really hope I'm not intruding, I know you've got a big family. Are you sure your family don't mind me joining you?" Anne was a bit uncomfortable with gatecrashing the Anderson's Christmas celebration.

"Us Anderson's never mind a hot blonde joining us," Nate cut in as he extended his right hand to Annie. "Nathaniel Anderson, Auggie's slightly older brother."

"Nice to meet you Nathaniel. I'm Annie, but I'm sure you already knew that," Annie said with a smile as she grabbed his hand and shook it firmly. There was no denying the kinship between him and Auggie. They had the same warm, brown eyes, chiseled jaw and wavy brown hair. Nate wasn't as fit as Auggie and a few inches shorter than his youngest brother.

Nate laughed. "I had an idea yes. Please call me Nate, that's what everyone else does. What does your bag look like? I'll grab it while you keep Augs here company."

"Oh, you don't have to do that, I can grab it myself," Annie protested.

"That would be really ungentlemanly of me Annie," Nate said with a smile. "Just tell me what your bag looks like."

"Okay, okay, I give up. It's a medium sized hard suitcase with the London tube map printed on it. It's usually pretty easy to locate."

"Sure beats a plain black one. I'll be right back."

"Thanks Nate," Auggie said as he heard his brother's footsteps moving away. ""I sure hope you're ready for Christmas with the Andersons."

"Oh, I am. I'm so glad you invited me Auggie," Annie said as she wrapped her arm around Auggie's waist and pulled him in for a half hug. He wrapped his arm around her shoulders and pulled her closer to him. She leaned into his side and rested her head on his shoulder while they waited for Nate to return with Annie's bag.

* * *

Late that evening they bid the rest of Andersons goodnight and headed upstairs to go to bed. To Auggie's relief everyone seemed to like Annie and there hadn't been any awkward moments for her as far as he could tell. From he introduced her to the family her outgoing and lively personality seemed to win everyone over. His mother's Christmas dinner had been a feast as always and they'd enjoyed an evening of games and conversations after, like they always did on Christmas Eve.

Auggie was surprised to find out that his parents had bought playing cards, Monopoly and Scrabble with Braille markings so he could take part in the game night. He hadn't expected it at all and was surprised by how emotional the revelation had made him; to him it was a sign that his family accepted the new and not so improved version him. As they entered the bedroom Auggie remembered to flip the light on for Annie's benefit. She entered the room behind him and closed the door.

"Thanks for a wonderful evening Auggie. I have to admit I was a bit apprehensive about gatecrashing a family event like this, but your family is great."

"I'm glad you had a good time. I had a better time than I thought I'd have too, I hadn't expected Mom and Dad to have bought a couple of games with Braille markings on them," Auggie said with a smile.

"I'm glad they did, I had a blast playing Scrabble with you, Matt and Megs tonight."

"So did I Annie." Auggie paused for a second. "Are you sure you're okay with sharing the bed? If you're not I'll get one of the guest beds and set it up in the corner."

"It's fine Auggie. The bed is plenty big enough for both of us and we're both adults," Annie said as she started to change into her PJ's. Auggie heard the sound of rustling fabric and turned towards Annie with an amused grin on his face.

"Are you changing in front of me?" he asked.

"It's not like you can peek anyway," Annie replied matter-of-factly as she pulled on her nightgown.

Auggie shook his head with a laugh and headed over to the dresser to retrieve his sleep pants and a t-shirt before he headed for the bathroom to change and brush his teeth.

* * *

"So what's the story with you and your sister's in-laws?" Auggie asked after they'd settled into bed. Annie sighed heavily; she'd expected the question to come sooner or later.

"Long story really. After I graduated from high school I spent a year travelling the world. My grandmother died not long before I graduated and she left Danielle and me some money. Danielle had already been married to Michael for a couple of years and Chloe was about a year old. They used the money as part of a down payment on their Georgetown house. At a family dinner Michael's parents asked me if I what I was going to spend the money on and I told them about my plans. They thought it was crazy and irresponsible and that I should use the money for college. I already had a free ride to Georgetown, full scholarships, and they'd okayed me postponing my enrollment for a year so I could travel. It all turned out to be a rather nasty fight and since then they've always seemed to be out to 'get' me for something when we're together. It's so damn stupid, but I just can't seem to get to make them understand where I'm coming from. They even give Danielle crap for letting me babysit Chloe and Katia."

"Well, it's their loss Annie. They're missing out on knowing one of the most amazing people I've ever met," Auggie said as he reached over and grabbed Annie's hand and gave it a little squeeze.

"You think I'm amazing?" Annie asked with a hint of surprise. She didn't really understand why Auggie would think that.

"Yes I do. You're smart, funny, loyal and empathic. The way you didn't back down even when I was a complete dick the first few times we met at the rehab center told me a lot about the kind of person you are. Not many people would put up with that, but you did. You made sure I got something to eat and you didn't pry or go all Chatty Cathie on me. I don't know where I'd be today if I hadn't met you."

"At first I was only doing my job, but I as I got to know you I realized I wanted to get to know you. You're pretty amazing too you know."

"You think_ I'm_ amazing?" Auggie asked with surprise lacing his voice.

"Oh absolutely. The way you approached your rehab, determined to get your life back, really blew me away. I know you had some dark moments throughout, but if you didn't you wouldn't be human." Annie scooted closer to Auggie and placed a soft kiss on his cheek. He responded with wrapping his arm around her and pulling her into his side. He wanted her in his arms. Annie resisted at first, knowing they were crossing a boundary, but something just clicked inside her and she settled down with her head on Auggie's right shoulder and her left arm draped across his chest. His right arm was firmly wrapped around her back and his hand was idly playing with her hair. Auggie knew he wanted take their relationship beyond the friendship zone and he had a feeling Annie felt that way too. They had to talk about that, but it could wait 'till the morning. Within minutes they were both fast asleep.

* * *

**I really hope you liked this. Lots of A&A interaction :o)**

**Please leave a review, I love to hear what you think and it keeps the muse on her best behavior. ;o)**


	13. Chapter 13

**Thank you so much for the response to this story, it's truly humbling. :o)**

**The muse was on her best behavior for a few days, then work got crazy and the muse went into hibernation. I realize this chapter is short, but it felt like a natural place to break and the next chapter is in the works. It should be up within the next couple of days.**

_**AN 2: I cleaned it up and added some things that was suggested by my lovely readers in reviews and PM's. Thanks for reading & reviewing. :o)**_

**DISCLAIMER: I don't own Annie, Auggie or Covert Affairs.**

* * *

**-Chapter 13-**

When Auggie woke up early on Christmas morning Annie was still curled up against his side, with her head resting on his shoulder. He couldn't believe the turn things had taken after they went to bed the previous night. Ever since Annie Walker had made sure he got something to eat during his early days in rehab he'd known she was something special. She'd never pushed him to talk; she was just there for him, waited 'till he was ready. She'd also never coddled him or treated him like he was lesser, she'd just accepted him and treated him like an equal, even in the early days when he was pretty helpless and in need of lots of assistance.

A while back he'd realized that his feelings for Annie went beyond friendship, but he hadn't been sure how to push beyond that boundary or even if Annie felt the same way. Her kissing him on the cheek and falling asleep in his arms indicated to Auggie that Annie had feelings beyond friendship too and that she was willing to cross that boundary. Auggie laid completely still, as far as he could tell Annie was still fast asleep and he didn't want to wake her. He let himself relax and within minutes he dozed off again.

* * *

A while later he felt Annie stir and a sleepy "Morning handsome" confirmed his suspicion that she was awake.

"G'morning. I'm amazing and handsome? Way to stroke my ego," Auggie said with a laugh as he leaned over and placed a kiss on her forehead. "What time is it?"

"Little after 7:30 am. I must say this was the weirdest first date ever," Annie stated with a giggle.

Auggie laughed as he flopped back onto the pillows. "Oh, last night was a date?"

"I don't have a habit of kissing random guys on the cheek and cuddling up next to them in bed," Annie answered, leaning over and placing a kiss on Auggie's lips. He was slightly startled at first, but a few moments later he wrapped his arms around Annie and pulled her closer.

"For your information I don't have a habit of inviting random girls to spend Christmas with my family and share a bed with me. I've had feelings for you for a while," Auggie confessed as they pulled apart and lay back down. "I want to be more than friends with you."

"What kind of feelings?" Annie asked, feeling her heart racing in her chest. She was glad Auggie couldn't see her blushing.

"I think I'm falling in love with you. I can't really describe it Annie, I just know I want to be with you."

Annie didn't immediately respond, leaving Auggie feeling mortified; wondering if he'd just made a huge mistake. Maybe he'd misinterpreted Annie's signals? Then she spoke.

"Well, I guess I'd better fess up and admit I've had feelings for you for a while too, but Judith gave me such a hard time for even becoming friends with you I decided to wait 'till you were discharged to tell you."

The news that Judith had disapproved of their friendship caught Auggie by surprise. Neither Judith nor Annie had given him any indication that she had problems with it. It hurt him a bit that Annie hadn't told him about it.

"Judith gave you a hard time because of our friendship?" Auggie asked, sounding a bit hurt. "Why didn't you tell me?"

"Because it was right after your big meltdown, and you had enough on your plate at the time Auggie. I didn't want to trouble you with my problems." Annie grabbed his hand as she spoke.

Auggie sighed and nodded. Annie was right, at the time he was so close to rock bottom that he wouldn't have been able to deal with Annie's issues too. "You're right. At the time I was barely holding it together. What did Judith say?"

"That I was getting too close to you and that it was inappropriate. I basically told her to mind her own business. I won't be going back there after New Year."

"She fired you?" Auggie queried.

"No, but school will be more intense next semester, I have to hand in my thesis, and most important; you won't be there," she replied, leaning over to kiss Auggie again. He reciprocated and wrapped his arms around her, pulling her flush against his body.

* * *

"Annie, can we be serious for a moment?" Auggie asked a few minutes later. After a passionate kiss they'd been laying in comfortable silence for a few minutes.

"Sure. What's on your mind?" Annie wondered why Auggie was suddenly so serious.

"Are you sure about this? Do you really want to date 'the blind guy'?"

"Auggie, I haven't been more sure about anything in a long time. And will you please climb down from that tree? You should know I don't see you as 'the blind guy'. I see you as Auggie, and believe me; he's a pretty amazing man. With or without working eyes."

"I know how _you_ feel Annie, I know you well enough to know that my blindness doesn't faze you, but are you ready to deal with how everyone else sees me? Even if it's only been abut six months since I lost my sight I've encountered enough prejudiced people to know that your family and friends are bound to have some not-so-positive-reactions." Auggie let out a heavy sigh at the end of the sentence.

"Most of my friends already know you and I honestly don't give a shit what my family might think. They never approve of anything I do anyway. _I_ want to be with _you_ and that's all that matters to me." Annie said firmly.

"Well, as long as you're sure…" Auggie said with a broad smile as he pulled Annie in for yet another passionate kiss. Just as Auggie was about to pull Annie's nightgown over her head a rap on the door pulled them back to reality.

"Yes?"Auggie answered, trying to keep the breathlessness out of his voice.

"Coffee and cinnamon rolls in the kitchen in 10 minutes," Carolyn called through the door. "Then we have to open presents, the stockings will only keep the kids occupied for so long."

"We'll be right down Mom. Thanks." Auggie replied, and then he turned back to Annie.

"I guess we'll have to get ready and head downstairs. But I'll take a rain check," he said with a wink.

"You bet Mr. Anderson," she replied as she got out of the bed and headed for the bathroom. "Tonight?"

* * *

**Please review and let me know what you think ;o)**


	14. Chapter 14

**Here it is. A long overdue update on this story. SO sorry for the long wait, the muse has been very disobedient lately.**

**Who else LOVE the season 3 finale? **

**DISCLAIMER: I don't own Annie, Auggie or Covert Affairs.**

* * *

**-Chapter 14-**

Auggie and Annie had been dating since he invited her to spend Christmas with his family in Glencoe and her support and love had helped him through tough first weeks back at work. It had been more challenging than he'd anticipated and he'd been on the verge of quitting or requesting demotion a few times. Annie had been there for him and helped him through those rough patches. They had grown steadily closer and spent most of their free time together. Lately they hadn't had much free time, Auggie had been working long hours as he was wrapping up a major project at work and Annie had been busy with her Master's thesis and then preparing for the defense of it. He hoped they'd have more time together in the time to come.

* * *

It was time for Annie's graduation from Georgetown and Auggie was feeling a bit nervous; it would be the first time he'd meet Annie's parents. Auggie sighed as he adjusted the knot on his tie and retrieved his suit coat from the hanger and pulled it on. After slipping on his black dress shoes he checked the time. Just 10 minutes left 'till Annie's brother in-law, Michael, was picking him up. After making sure he had his wallet and phone he grabbed his cane and keys and headed downstairs to wait for Michael outside. As he made his way to the elevator and then out on the sidewalk he felt a bit nervous; the thought of meeting Annie's parents for the first time made him more nervous than he cared to admit. In the close to six months since he'd finished his rehab he'd encountered his fair share of prejudiced people that didn't see him as anything but a helpless cripple. He hoped Anne's parents weren't among them.

# # # # # # # # # # # # # #

Half an hour later Michael was leading him toward their seats.

"Jim and Louise are already here," he told Auggie as they ascended the stairs to where Annie's parents were sitting with Danielle. She stood and greeted her husband and Auggie warmly before she introduced Auggie to her parents.

"Mom, Dad this is Annie's boyfriend August Anderson, Auggie these are my parents; James and Louise Walker."

"Nice to meet you both," Auggie said with his most charming smile as he extended his hand in what he hoped was the right direction.

"Louise Walker," Annie's mother greeted as she shook his offered hand weakly and quickly let it got. He felt another hand grab his and shake it quickly. "James Walker. Nice to meet you August."

Auggie sensed some reservation from Annie's parents, but before he had time to ponder more about it the ceremony started and they found their seats.

# # # # # # # # # # # # # # # #

"Auggie!" Annie squealed with happiness as she ran over to where Auggie was standing with her parents, Danielle and Michael. He let go of Michael's arm and opened his arms as he heard the sound of Annie's stilettos coming toward him. Soon she wrapped her arms around him and kissed him. Then she moved on to receive hugs and congratulations from her family and some friends. Auggie chatted with Danielle and Michael. He noticed that the Walkers seemed to keep a distance from him.

* * *

A couple of hours later they were at Annie's sisters house where they'd enjoyed a big barbecue. Danielle had prepared a huge buffet of side dishes and Michael had been in charge of the grill. Auggie was more than a bit apprehensive about the buffet thing, but with Annie's assistance he had managed okay. He still had a feeling he'd been under scrutiny the entire meal and as they'd started mingling around the yard after the meal was finished the uneasy feeling wouldn't let go and he felt an urge to get out of there. He turned to Annie who was sitting next to him.

"Um Annie?"

"Yeah?"

"I need to use the restroom, but I'm not sure where it is," he whispered.

"No problem. I'll show you," Annie said as they both stood. Auggie took her arm and she led him to the downstairs half bath. She quickly described the layout of the room to him.

"Thanks Annie. I can find my way back on my own."

"Okay, see you in a bit then," Annie said as she placed a peck on his cheek and went back outside to re-join the party.

# # # # # # # # # # # # # # #

A few minutes later Auggie had managed to pull himself together and he flushed the toilet and washed his hands in case someone was outside the door waiting. He swallowed deeply and headed back outside. Just before he was about to round the corner into the kitchen he stopped short; Annie was talking with her mother and she sounded upset.

"Mom, why don't you give him a chance?"

"I've seen all I need to see. Why are you wasting your life on a cripple that depends on you to tell you where the food is on his plate and can't find the damn restroom without assistance? You can do so much better Anne."

"So because Auggie's blind I'm supposed to dump him?"

"Don't be so melodramatic."

"Melodramatic? I love Auggie Mom. He's great guy if you'd just let yourself see it."

"Come on Anne. I'm not being melodramatic; I'm simply stating the truth here. You're 26 years old and you just graduated Georgetown with honors; you have your whole life in front of you. Don't let a crush ruin your life."

Auggie leaned against the wall and swallowed hard. Anger was rising in him, as well as a rush of despair that he hadn't felt since he was still in rehab. Over past few months he really felt like he'd been getting somewhere; that he was slowly rebuilding his life and regaining his independence. Mrs. Walker's attitude was a slap in the face and he wasn't quite sure what to do about it and stayed where he was for a few moments, 'till he heard two sets of footfalls leaving the kitchen. After a few moments he straightened his spine and walked back outside with as much confidence he could muster.

* * *

The rest of the party went by without incidents, but when she drove Auggie home that evening Annie remarked that Auggie had been uncharacteristically quiet and withdrawn. He hung his head and sighed.

"Sorry about that. From the moment Michael introduced me to your folks it was pretty clear to me that they didn't approve and then I overheard the conversation between you and your mother when I came from the bathroom. I confirmed what I'd suspected all day."

"Oh my God, you overheard that? I'm so sorry Auggie. Mom can be a real bitch sometimes. She has given me crap about dating you for a while and I really hoped that meeting you would change things and make her see what a wonderful person you are."

"Doesn't look like that's happening anytime soon," Auggie said sadly. "I really don't want to cause a rift between you and your family. And I'm sorry for being such a downer. I don't want to ruin your graduation day."

"You didn't ruin anything, my damn mother did. I love you Auggie. I'm not going anywhere as long as you'll have me."

"Well, I'm yours for as long as you'll have me," Auggie said with a small smile. "I guess we're stuck with each other."

"Yep," Annie laughed as she parked outside Auggie's apartment building. "We're at your place. Front door's at your two o'clock. I'd love to come up with you, but my parents are leaving early tomorrow morning, so I should spend the evening with them."

"I know Annie. I love you," Auggie said as he pulled her in for a long and passionate kiss.

"Love you too. Why don't I pick you up after work tomorrow and we can have our own celebration, just the two of us?"

"Awesome," Auggie said with a broad smile. "See you tomorrow."

He got out of the car and Annie watched as he made his way to his front door. When he turned and waved in her general direction she pulled back into traffic and drove back to her sister's house in Georgetown.

* * *

**Short, I know. I hope the next one is longer.**

**Please leave a review and let me know what you think.**


	15. Chapter 15

**Thanks for the feedback on the previous chapter. It kicked the muse into gear and here's your reward.**

**The season 3 finale ****left me with some story ideas, but I haven't quite figured out where to take them. We'll see what the muse comes up with.**

**DISCLAIMER: I don't own Annie, Auggie or Covert Affairs.**

* * *

**-Chapter 15-**

When Annie pulled into the pickup lane outside Logic software the following day Auggie was waiting for her, leaning on his cane. The sight of him brought a smile to her face, as well as a tinge of sadness. Her mother had been questioning her relationship with Auggie for a while and it hurt that her parents didn't see the wonderful person behind the white cane. She stopped in front of Auggie and rolled down the window.

"Hey Aug! I'm at your 12 o'clock," she shouted out of the window.

Auggie walked confidently to her car and quickly settled into the passenger seat. After a quick kiss Annie turned her attention to driving and pulled into traffic.

"What have you been up to today?" Auggie asked.

"Took my parents to Reagan this morning and I've spent the rest of the day cleaning up my apartment and doing laundry. I've sort of neglected it lately. How was your day?"

"Pretty good. We're starting a new project that looks like a fun one. Do you know if Stu's got a job this summer by the way?"

"I'm not sure. He's had that part time job at Target for a while, but he's been talking about quitting, if he can get a more relevant job. He told you he's going to get a Master's degree right?"

"Yeah, he mentioned it a few weeks ago. Do you think he'd be interested in working for Logic? One of our summer internships opened up today."

"I think he'd be very interested. Give him a call."

Auggie nodded. "I'll do it tomorrow. Right now it's time to celebrate your graduation. How about going to Pierre's for dinner? My treat."

"Awesome, I love that place," Annie replied happily.

* * *

"I'm sorry for my parents' behavior yesterday Auggie. Especially my mother," Annie said as they waited for their entrees to be served. "I really thought meeting you would change their minds about you. I figured they'd see what a great guy you are."

"It's not your fault Annie. You don't have to apologize," Auggie sighed and had a sip of his beer.

"I know it's not my fault, but it bothers me that my parents are so narrow minded. I feel like they didn't even give you a chance and it angers me that they're not willing to do that for us. I love you and that should be good enough for them. At least they live on the other side of the country so we don't have to deal with them on a daily basis."

"I think that's both a blessing and a curse," Auggie said thoughtfully.

"What?" Annie didn't understand what he was getting at.

"That they live in California. Yes, we don't have to deal with them on a daily basis, but we don't get to know each other. Spending time with people seems to be the best way to make them see what I'm capable of and what I need assistance with. The time I spent with my family at Christmas is a good example of that. Things were a bit awkward for the first couple of days, but as time passed they learned and things were much less awkward when we left."

"I guess you have a point there, I just didn't think about it like that," Annie admitted. "Oh looks like our food is coming..."

"Great, I'm hungry," Auggie said with a smile as the waiter approached. "Oh, I can smell it now."

* * *

"How's the job search going?" Auggie asked Annie a couple of weeks after her graduation. He knew she'd been sending out applications left and right lately.

"Don't even ask…" Annie sighed. "It's harder than I predicted. A couple of magazines have contacted me regarding freelance assignments, which is better than nothing. What I really want and need is the predictability of a full time job though."

"I get that Annie and I'm sure something will come along soon. When does the lease expire on your apartment by the way?"

"The end of July. Danielle has offered me her guesthouse until I can find something permanent if all else fails. I'm not thrilled about it, but hopefully it won't be for very long."

Auggie didn't answer; he had a few sips of his beer with a thoughtful look on his face for a few moments before he spoke.

"Move in with me," he suggested. "My place is big enough for both of us and we spend most of our free time together anyway."

"Really?" Annie was surprised. Although they'd were both serious about their relationship, and neither of them could imagine being with someone else, Annie hadn't even thought about living together. "You want me to move in?"

"Yeah. Why not? We've known each other for almost a year and we've been going out for six months now. I think it's safe to say that we're both serious about our relationship? I know I'm in it for the long run." All of a sudden Auggie felt a bit insecure. Maybe he'd overestimated how serious she was about their relationship. Annie was, after all, a few years younger than him and fresh out of college. It hit him that maybe she wasn't ready to settle down just yet. "It's just an idea. It won't change anything between us if you say no."

Annie noticed the insecure look that flickered across Auggie's face and instantly reached over and placed her hand on his forearm.

"Oh Auggie, you just surprised me, that's all. It's not something we've ever discussed before and I sort of figured that you have everything in your apartment organized and set up in a specific way. I don't know how I'd fit in. I'm nowhere near as organized as you are."

"I think we'll get along just fine. Yes, I depend on having everything in its place and keeping things organized, but we'll figure it out."

The pleading and somewhat insecure look on Auggie's face won Annie over.

"Okay. If you're sure I think we should give it a try."

A wide smile spread across Auggie's face.

"Awesome. We'll sort out the details later, but right now I'm hungry. Does Chinese takeout sound okay to you?"

* * *

"This is the last box," Annie said as she added the box she'd been carrying to the stack in the corner. It was the last weekend in July and Annie was moving in with Auggie. He'd been looking forward to this day since she'd agreed to give it a try almost six weeks earlier and although she'd initially been hesitant her excitement had grown. The logistics of the move hadn't been very daunting. Annie had rented her apartment furnished, so they only had to worry about moving her clothes and personal belongings. Her sister had offered her to store the things she didn't need in her garage; it was only an armchair and a few boxes of kitchen equipment, tableware and linens.

"Really?" Auggie asked. "That's it? I assumed it would be at least twice as much."

"My travels and college life haven't allowed me to accumulate a lot of belongings," Annie said as she wrapped her arms around Auggie's waist and pulled him in for a hug. "Thanks for inviting me to live here."

"No need to thank me. I should thank you for being willing to put up with all the hassle living with a blind guy is. Not everyone would do that."

"Oh Auggie, please don't say that. It's not a hassle at all. I'm sure that living together will take some adjustment for both of us, but that has nothing to do with you being blind."

Auggie smiled and kissed Annie's forehead. He couldn't believe how lucky he was to have Annie in his life, and although he had a feeling that living together would come with some challenges he was looking forward to it.

* * *

**Auggie and Annie have taken another step in their relationship - living together.**

**Not sure what to do next, feel like it's time to wrap this story up... Any suggestions are appreciated.**

**Please leave me a review. :o)**


	16. Chapter 16

_**So...prompted by a few DM's and reviews I've come to the decision that the previous chapter was a good way to end this story. I don't feel like dragging it out further. Thanks for reading, following and reviewing this story. The response it has **_**_received has truly blown me away. THANK YOU! :o)_**

**_XOXO_**

**_-Mille_**


End file.
